Handling social injustice as a Christian

The past few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster for most Nigerians because of the protests happening within and outside the country. It made me wonder what the biblical perspective was for handling social injustice and here is what I found.

Social injustice is the society failing to act in a just manner to individuals.

In every institution, there are rules and systems put in place to govern the society and ensure everyone is cared for- at least, to a certain extent. This is where the concepts of humans, civil, political rights and the likes come into play. When the societal system is being run in the proper and agreed manner, individuals experience social justice and when the system fails to run properly, then it is known as social injustice.

Unfortunately, social injustice has become the order of the day in most societies today. At one point or the other, as a Christian, you would have to respond to it.

That brings up the question, How do you handle social injustice as a Christian? 


There is a Christian worldview for every situation. Though you live in the world you are not of the world. As a believer, your response to any situation will most likely differ from that of an unbeliever because of the fundamentals of your faith.


PRAYER: As a Christian, your default response to difficulties or any situation at large should be prayer. You have to dedicate time to consciously and actively communicate with God to get the best approach to deal with any immediate issue which in this case is social injustice.


Let’s use Nehemiah as the major case study for this post. The whole book focuses on Proper leadership and handling social injustice.


Bro Nehe as my friend calls him was a cup-bearer for a Persian King: in our day and time, he would be an aide to a government official. One day, his friend comes to visit and bro Nehe learnt his homeland was destroyed and the gates burned down. Because of how sad the news made him, he cried and he couldn’t eat. The next thing Bro Nehe did was pray. He prayed because he knew the task was greater than him and he would need God’s help (to be continued…)


When you pray, your mind opens up to various possibilities you might not have thought on your own.
It emboldens you to go the extra mile to ensure justice prevails. Fact is, you are the answer to the prayers of many people and your nation but you also need God’s guidance to carry out your duties.

Fact is, you are the answer to the prayers of many people and your nation but you also need God’s guidance to carry out your duties.


Bro Nehe’s story continued: Bro Nehe spoke with the king and the king responded favourably to Nehe and all his requests. He even gives bro Nehe troops and army officials to protect him. (How wild is that?)…..


LOVE: The major pillar of Christianity is love. The love of God and love for all the people around you. Remember one of Jesus’ parables, the one about the good Samaritan in Luke 10. The Samaritan’s showed his love by helping the injured man even though he could have walked away.


Seeing social injustice prevalent all around you and refusing to lend your voice or act out of compassion, does not portray love. You cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the situation of others even if it doesn’t affect you directly. Even Jesus showed love over and over again even at his detriment.

Back to bro Nehe: You have to love Him, he was such an activist. One time the jews decided to protest because the taxes were so high, some had to sell their children as slaves so they could pay up. At this time, bro Nehe was already in his Homeland as a government official. When he heard of the Jews plight, he took it upon himself to ensure the tax payment stopped and life was easier for his people. As a government official, he would have befitted so much if the taxes had continued but his love for God and the people compelled him to do the right thing.


RESPONSIBILITY: It doesn’t stop at prayers alone, you also have to be willing to rise to the occasion and put in the work. It could be as simple as voting or lending your voice in peaceful protests or even as complex as becoming a government official.


You have to ensure you are not defaulting in the responsibilities God has handed to you no matter how little it may be.


Cupbearer Bro Nehe became Governor Bro Nehe.


WISDOM AND DISCERNMENT: Acting with wisdom and discernment is very important. Always remember, not everyone has the same goal as you do. Some people want social injustice to continue to prevail because it benefits them and they will go to any length to ensure it remains that way.


Even bro Nehe, he didn’t have it easy at all. He had opposition all round especially from these two guys; Sanballat and Tobiah. They did everything they could to stop but bro Nehe didn’t fall for it. He handled every situation with wisdom.


Not every move is your move.

Unknown


Most important of all, always remember Jesus is the only hope of redemption. Sharing the gospel is the most important social duty of a Christian because we live in a fallen world and injustice will continue to increase daily; because of the fallen nature of man, as a result of sin. There is only so much fixing we can do in this world because of the wickedness of the heart of man. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9).


You need to share the gospel: “That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (l Corinthians 15:3-4), anyone who accepts his sacrifice receives a new life, eternal life (John 3:16).


My Sherlock Holmes journey on this topic ends here. I truly hope you learnt something like i did.


[Important notice: There is an ongoing movement in Nigeria #EndSARS, please lend your voice in any way you can.]


I share this with you because I care, so please share this with someone you care about.
Love always, Oluwatoyin.

More than mere words

Proverbs 16: 24 “Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.”

Let’s talk about words. I checked out the meaning of “word” and it felt weird because the definition consisted of words defining words. Lol.

Our daily lives consist of many words and many sentences and because it is a continuous activity, sometimes we forget the importance of words. We tend to forget each word has a meaning and each word makes up our mindset and interactions, either good or bad.

So today we are going to do a quick refresher course. Of course, a course is not complete without a few questions? Don’t be scared. It is nothing too hard.

Has anyone ever spoken with you for a while and they said the words you needed to hear at that point?  Yes? Good. How did it make you feel? 

You most likely felt happy and encouraged because those words made you feel good. See how Proverbs 15:23 explains it. “Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!” 

On the flip side, how about when someone spoke to you and the person hurt you through words (on purpose or not). You most likely felt sad and disappointed, sometimes even angry. It could even have been the same person that once made you feel positive emotions that made you feel these negative emotions.

So what changed? The Words. When spoken rightly, words bring forth life. When spoken wrongly, they bring forth pain and condemnation.

When spoken rightly, words bring forth life. When spoken wrongly, they bring forth pain and condemnation.

Oluwatoyin Akande

Okay. Another set of questions. (I did mention it’ll be a few at the beginning. Well, the few continues. Hehe.)

Have you ever said the wrong words to yourself or even thought about it? Words like “I’m too lazy”, “I am ugly”, “I don’t deserve anything good” “Everyone is better than me” “I am useless.”

If you have, then most likely you would have also noticed that these things begin to happen to you because you internalized it so much. Your reality changed based on those words.

On the contrary, have you ever affirmed yourself? Have you spoken the right words to yourself? If you have, you would have noticed how situations seem to conform to your words. After a while of speaking consistently over yourself, the words come to life.

Your words build your mindset. As important as it is for people to speak the right words to you, it is much more important to say the right words to yourself.  

Ephesians 4.29 says- “Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.”

Sometimes, you can get so conscious of the words you speak to others but you neglect yourself. You need to remember to treat yourself as the royal that you are. You need to speak the right words about yourself too. 

Always remember, every word you speak to yourself (and others) should come forth as a gift and a blessing even during times of correction and criticism.

The bible says in Proverbs 16:24 “Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” (NLT). 

Speaking kind words, affirmations over yourself is actually very healthy.

The last set of questions

Have you ever heard what God has said concerning your life (prophecies)?

Have you ever spent time learning who God says you are (through personal Bible study, through teachings)?

Have you ever written them down?

Have you ever prayed over those words?

Have you ever spoken those words over your life?

If your answer to any or all of these is no, then it is about time you start.

The word of God gives life. It shows you your identity in Christ. It shows what has been made available to you in Christ. It renews your mind from the worldly pattern of thinking.

By learning what God has said about you and speaking it consistently concerning every area of your life, you allow those words become your reality.

Finally, the words people speak to you matter, the words you speak to yourself matters, even more, most importantly the words God has spoken about you matters the most.

Make a commitment today to start speaking the right words over yourself and stick to it.

Build the right reality with your words, you can do this!

I share with you because I care, so please share this with someone you care about.

Love always, Oluwatoyin.

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A Holy God in an unholy temple?

“Nobody is Holy o, only God knows who is righteous”.

“Everyone is still a sinner, yes some are saved but we are still sinners at the end of the day”

These are common statements among believers and unbelievers alike. Perhaps some say it as a sincere statement of humility or acknowledgement of God’s Holiness still, it doesn’t make this wrong statement right. It is important to examine the phrases you use or regularly hear because words influence your mindset.

Right believing produces right living.

Joseph Prince

So let’s examine these statements biblically and see how true they are.

There are two categories of people in the world, the saints (the holy) and the sinner (the unholy). If you are not a sinner, then you are a saint.

So who is a sinner?

Anyone born into this world is a sinner. It is hereditary, as a result of the fallen state of man because of Adam. Because of Adam’s fall, every man became a sinner by birth, full of evil and void of righteousness.

Romans 5:21 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned…..

Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,…..

Important to Note: Every verse in the scriptures has a context; you have to read the surrounding verses to fully understand what message the writer was trying to pass across if not you will come to the wrong conclusions. You have to read a verse in context if not the verse loses its meaning.

So yes every man was a sinner because of the fallen nature of man but when you read the continuation of all these verses, you see that God has made a provision for every man to become righteous by believing in Christ.

Romans 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Romans 3:24 ….and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

My podcast.

(I have a podcast episode where I explain this in detail: click here).

Every believer is a righteous man and every righteous man is a saint which means every believer is a saint.

A saint is anyone who has been sanctified, made Holy because of the new nature he has received in Christ.

Think about this for a moment, how can the Holy Spirit dwell in sinners? How can the holy God dwell in a defiled temple? Impossible, right?

Think about this for a moment, how can the Holy Spirit dwell in sinners? How can a holy God dwell in a defiled temple? Impossible, right? If you say believers are still sinners then you are indirectly saying that God can dwell in sin which is unholiness and that is contrary to God.

Holiness and sin cannot cohabit. When you read the old testament, there were specific and strict instructions the Israelites had to obey before the presence of God could manifest, especially the ark of God, the Temple of God and the Holies of Holies. These were the main symbols of Holiness.

If God was to ever dwell in man, he had to first make him Holy and that is exactly what he did. He made man Holy through Christ’ sacrifice. Anyone who believes and accepts Christ is made Holy. This is the only way God could dwell in man.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the house of God and that the Spirit of God lives among you in his house? 17 If anyone defiles and spoils God’s home, God will destroy him. For God’s home is holy and clean, and you are that home.

Ephesians 4:24 Yes, you must be a new and different person, holy and good. Clothe yourself with this new nature.

1 peter 2:9 But you are not like that, for you have been chosen by God himself—you are priests of the King, you are holy and pure, you are God’s very own—all this so that you may show to others how God called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

Romans 6:22….But now you are free from the power of sin and are slaves of God, and his benefits to you include holiness and everlasting life.

You are Holy. This the reality of who you are. Despite your natural acts, good or bad, your holiness status is always intact because your sinful nature has died with Christ on the cross.

You can only live a holy life when you know you have been made Holy.

You can only live a holy life when you know you have been made Holy.

When you study the letters of Apostle Paul he does something worthy of emulation. Whenever he addressed the believers, especially churches he wanted to correct for wrong acts, he called them “saints”. He did this to remind them of their saved nature and how they ought to live holy lives because they were already made Holy.

Peter also explains this concept in 1st peter. He explains how God our Father is Holy hence we as his children must be holy because that is who our Father is. He reinforces this statement again in the second chapter.

When you go about your daily life conscious of your Holiness and righteousness in Christ, it is hard to live in sin. When sin comes knocking you remind it that you are already made Holy and you can now live above sin and you will.

A shift has occurred. Anyone who believes in Christ is no longer a sinner, he is now righteous and he is a saint.  So when Satan tries to tempt you with sin, you remind him of your nature. You remind him of who you are in Christ.

I am Saint Oluwatoyin (insert your name instead of mine), righteous in Christ, Holy even as her Father is Holy.  That’s right.

I am Saint Oluwatoyin (insert your name instead of mine), righteous in Christ, Holy even as her Father is Holy.  That’s right.

It is essential to always remember that basis for being a sinner or saint is not what you do or don’t do; it stems from who you are. If you are in Christ, you are a saint, and so you live like one.

It is possible to live a holy life void of sin because that is who you are. You have God living on your inside, and you as his temple cannot be filthy hence your Holiness. As he is so are you and so you in this world. Glorrayyyyy!

You can read more about your Holiness and sanctification here.

I share with you because I care, so please share this with someone you care about.

Love always, Oluwatoyin.

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The Holier-than-thou complex

This is one complex I am 90% sure you have encountered one way or another. You just haven’t put a name to it but don’t worry, I got you covered.

According to Dictionary.com; Holier-than-thou means obnoxiously pious; sanctimonious; self-righteous. In simpler words, it describes anyone who is self-absorbed and thinks he is better or more qualified than others without any solid basis.

A complex is defined as a fixed idea or notion.

The Holier-than-thou complex is defined as a fixed idea or notion of being better than others. The complex thrives on the belief of superiority and projects a false standard of perfection.

Sounds familiar? I thought so. Everywhere you go; there will most likely always be a self-absorbed human you have to deal with. At work, in the neighbourhood, on the way home, people with this complex are everywhere and anywhere.

Unfortunately, they are also found in Christian circles too. The complex seems to be even much more pronounced. It thrives on a show of self-righteousness without grace and love which is the backbone of the Christian Faith.

Remember the Pharisees in the Bible; how they always judged and condemned others. They are the perfect examples of the typical “Holier-than-thou”. They believed because they knew God’s law, they couldn’t dine with sinners and that they were better than them. In fact, Jesus Christ, the very son God was seen as inferior to them.

The complex blinds and segregates, the very opposite of what Christ came to do.

Sadly, there are still Christians who act and think like the Pharisees today.

I was one for a long time too. I thought I was better than some of my friends because I was brought up in a Christian home and I didn’t do what they did at that time. I condemned and looked down on others because of their choice of lifestyle.

Nobody would want to admit that they act like the Pharisees, but actions and attitude reveal whether you and I act like Christ or like the Pharisees.

I was the 21st century Pharisee. I mean, nobody would readily admit that they act like the Pharisees, but actions and attitude reveal whether you and I act like Christ or like the Pharisees.

The root cause of the Holier-than-thou complex is the belief of self-righteousness which outrightly contradicts why Christ came.

The Bible explains in Romans 3:10-20 (paraphrase) that no one is good enough, not even one is capable of being righteous (good enough) to access God by his effort but God provided another way. Still not by our effort but by Christ who had no sin.

Romans 3:22 “But we are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this way, no matter who we are or what we have done.”

Righteousness is not in degrees. You cannot be more righteous than another believer. Your self-righteousness is and will always be filthy because it amounts to nothing but the moment you accept Christ, you receive His righteousness.

Righteousness is not in degrees. You cannot be more righteous than another believer. Your self-righteousness is and will always be filthy because it amounts to nothing but the moment you accept Christ, you receive His righteousness. Like the scripture above rightly explained, you can never be righteous by your own efforts.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

We have Christ’s righteousness and not our self-righteousness. In fact, the very opposite of self-righteousness is Christ’s righteousness.

You need to realize that it is only because of Christ’s sacrifice you are now saved. The only difference between you as a believer and an unbeliever is your decision to accept Christ. If any unbeliever also accepts Christ, he receives the exact measure of righteousness you have received. So you cannot brag about it because it is not by your effort.

You can live out the righteousness that you have received at salvation more than another believer, but you cannot be more righteous than others. Righteousness is far more than doing, it is a state of being. Once you understand that righteousness is not in degrees, you cannot feel like you are more righteous than another believer.

If a believer does not live out the righteousness he has received, it is because he is still ignorant about his God-given ability to live above sin (the whole of Romans 6 deals with this specifically). He has not been properly taught and discipled. Yes, he was deeply flawed and imperfect before salvation but afterwards, he became perfectly redeemed by Christ’ sacrifice.

So the basis for living righteously is not because you are better than others, but because you have received the righteousness of God in Christ. It is who you are, it is a part of you and so you live accordingly.  By consistent prayer and study of the word, you understand this righteousness more and live it out consciously.

Remember any sinner can receive Christ’s righteousness once he believes, which means there is absolutely no basis for the Holier-than-complex in a believer’s life.

I released another episode of my podcast earlier this week titled “What is salvation.” You should listen to it. It explains in detail why and how we receive the righteousness of God through Christ’s sacrifice.

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I share with you because I care so share this with someone you care about.

Love always, Oluwatoyin.

Fear of rejection.

Heyyyy. Welcome back to my blog. In today’s post, you will be reading about the fear of rejection and how to deal with it.

To reject simply means to refuse to accept. 

There are parents who refuse to accept their children, applications that aren’t considered good enough, shots that have missed their targets e.t.c.

Rejection usually hurts. It comes with pain, anger, frustration, bitterness and many other negative emotions. It gives one the feeling of not being enough. 

Many times due to the various forms of rejection that often comes, it can easily become internalized. Feeling of inadequacy, irrelevance, worthlessness in major areas of rejection can creep in. For example, rejection emails from numerous job applications can trigger feelings of inferiority career-wise.

One thing to learn is rejection will always occur one way or another. It is part of the cycle of life. Not everything you want will be given to you. Not everyone you give your energy to will return it. People won’t always choose you.

Accepting this and understanding it will help you navigate through life easier.

What is not acceptable is basing one’s worth on the areas of rejection. Shrinking back because of fear of rejection will never be acceptable. Instead, put in work to become better in the area of rejection. Every success story also consists of failures and rejection stories. Rejection is a propellant to push harder.

Now bring we relate this to our relationship with God. 

Fear of rejection can cripple any relationship with God. Some people fear they are not doing enough to earn the love of God while some are afraid of sinning because they don’t want God to cast them away (in other words, reject them.)

Let us take a look at what the Bible says about this.

Rom.5.8 [AMP]- But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.

According to this passage, God allowed Jesus to die for the whole of mankind (everyone was a sinner at that time). Because of His love, he provided a way for any and everyone to become a saint by believing Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross for each sinner. He allowed it to happen because he had already accepted each and every sinner.

God wasn’t and isn’t afraid of rejection. He will never be. He knew some would reject him but he also knew many more would embrace him.

If he accepted everyone even in sin, how much more those who are believers. They are even much more accepted. Eph.1.6 – To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

God takes it a step further by accepting every believer as his Child. Rom.8.16 – The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.

Rejection is never found in God’s love.

Rejection is never found in God’s love. Be rest assured that God is always in love with you and he is ever ready to help become more like him. You can go boldly to him without fear of rejection and receive his love.

Understand the power available to you by the help of the Holy Spirit and begin to walk in the victorious life found in Christ.

Two amazing songs i would recommend concerning this topic are Stand in your love by Josh Baldwin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFizRY8w0-I and No longer slaves by Bethel Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxkNj5hcy5E

Share this with someone you care about. I share with you because I care. Stay basking in God’s love.

Love always, Oluwatoyin.

The love language of God.

We are in an era where everyone seeks emotional intelligence and an understanding of their natural psychology. Books and personality tests like: “The 5 love languages”, “16 personalities test”, “The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)” have become increasingly popular. It is not surprising because they help us understand our natural psychology and how to navigate it. Since it is only natural for any human to seek understanding, attention, love; these books and tests help a lot in achieving that. They even help in understanding and analyzing strengths and weaknesses so anyone can improve on their weaknesses and capitalize on their strengths.

If you have ever read any of these books or taken any of the tests, you would agree with me that they help you understand yourself better and why you think or act the way you do. Of course, they won’t be entirely correct but they give you a basic understanding of your natural behavioural patterns.

In Gary Chapman’s book, “The 5 love languages”, he explains that love is expressed to a person in 5 basic languages. Each person has a mixture of one primary love language and two or more secondary love languages. He further explains that until love is expressed to a person in their primary love language or sometimes their secondary love language, they won’t feel as loved as they should. Say, for example, my primary love language is physical touch (meaning the time I feel loved most is when I get physical expressions of love like hugs, touches, cuddles) and my parents keep expressing their love for me through word of affirmation (Kind words, words of encouragement, words of praise), I won’t feel as loved as I ought to because that is not my primary love language.

Now that we get the idea of what a love language is, let’s talk about the love language of God. 

God himself is love. That is his nature, the very essence of who God is. 

I John 4:8 The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love.

God expresses his love in just one form and he receives love in just one form. This is to say that God has just one love language and loving him any other way won’t amount to anything. The love language of God is Jesus Christ, he is the only way to accept and access the overwhelming love of God.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the way and the Truth and the Life: no one comes to the Father except by (through) me. 

I Timothy 2:5-6 For there is only one God and one mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message that God gave to the world at the proper time.

God’s love can on be expressed in Jesus Christ because Christ is the very image of God and is God.

Hebrews 1:1 This Son perfectly mirrors God and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what he says—Powerful words! After finishing the sacrifice for sins, the son took his honored high in the heavens right alongside God.

Only faith in Christ can give you access to the Father. Only in Christ can you access the fullness of all that God has for you because you become changed once you believe in Jesus Christ. You don’t remain the same, your identity has changed, and even more, your DNA has changed been changed to God’s own.

1 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold the fresh and new has come!

In fact, Paul in his epistles speaks constantly about being in Christ. He used phrases like “in Christ”, “in him”, “in the Lord” over 160 times! 

The identity of any man should only be found in Christ because he is the only way to the Father. Jesus Christ is and will always be the love language of God.

Do share this with someone you care about. I share this with you because I care.

Love always, Oluwatoyin.

The start of something new

This just really describes how i feel about starting, treading softly.

I have toyed with the idea of starting a blog for a while but starting was scary (if you are anything like me, you will relate to how scary it is to put yourself out there or start something new).

I read a scripture that really spurred me on to finally get started and share what I have learnt, I am learning per time. I trust it will bless you too.

“1Cor.4.1 MSG- Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s most sublime secrets, not security guards posted to protect them.”

The lower part explains that we are guides into God’s secret meaning we show the world the secrets of God which we now understand because of the revelation we have in Christ. We are not security guards that keep others from the secrets of God. We don’t hoard the knowledge of God we have learnt.

We are not security guards that keep others from the secrets of God. We don’t hoard the knowledge of God we have learnt.

As soon as I read this and the Holy Spirit ministered it to my heart this way, it really helped to lessen my fear, so here I am. Go figure!

Journeying into more is a faith and lifestyle blog that aims at discussing the gospel of Christ and how it affects our daily walk. From prayer, to identity, to character and everything related. There is always more of God to learn about each day and it excites me.

Learning is good but learning with people is even better (insert quote “no man is an island”. We all need communities to thrive). Let’s learn together as we Journey into more of God by the Help of the Holy spirit.

Don’t forget to share this with someone you care about. I share with you because I care.

Love always, Oluwatoyin.