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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

Rid yourself of selfishness | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: September 10, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 19

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of September 2023. I pray that God will rid your heart of every wrong thing that is making your relationships sour and also hindering your experience of His goodness. Amen.

Now one of the things that often make it difficult for us to have sweet fellowship with the people in our lives is selfishness. What is selfishness? Selfishness is going for what we want without showing any concern for how it will affect others. In other words, you just want what you want and are not interested in who gets hurt or destroyed in the process.

Selfishness, then, is the foundation of all the evils being done in the world. It is the reason people steal, fornicate, rape, murder, do money rituals and so forth. They are just concerned about what they want for themselves. They don’t care about what they do to have it and how what they do to have it is going to affect others. They are selfish.

Selfishness, as I already pointed out, is also the reason people cannot get along in their marriages, neighbourhoods, workplaces and even Christian assemblies. All they think of is what they want and how to get it. They will not think of how what they want and the way they go about getting it will affect those with them or around them. So, they are going to meet with resistance, which sometimes may be violent or costly.

A number of years ago, I came home from work only to be greeted in my street with a very terrible and unbearable odour. “What happened here?” I asked my co-tenants. “Why is everywhere filled with this kind of evil odour?” And they told me that it was those in the house beside us that emptied their septic tank straight into our street.

But why did they do that? Did they think of the health implications of doing so to themselves and the neighbourhood as a whole? No! Did they consider the fact the odour that would come from doing so would drive everybody in the neighbourhood away from their houses? No! They just saw that their septic tank was full and needed to be emptied. So, they emptied it into the street. And that, of course, made some neighbours call on some government health workers to visit them and give them appropriate punishment.

What is my point? It is that selfishness will make life difficult for you and those around you. This is why the word of God says to us, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil 2:3-4NIV) Did you see that? If we want peace in our homes, neighbourhoods, workplaces and churches, each of us must not just be concerned about want we want for ourselves but also about what others want for themselves.

See, when we are not just concerned about ourselves but also about others, we will demonstrate caution and understanding in our dealings with them. So, we will not take steps that will destroy them in our attempt to satisfy ourselves or become bitter against them, if they have to say ‘No’ to certain requests we are making of them. But if we are taking steps that are ruining other people’s lives or joy because we want to please ourselves or if we are making enemies of others because they will not say ‘Yes’ to certain requests (and not rights) of ours, we are walking in selfishness. And regardless of how high we rise in life, sorrow and pains will never be far from our lives.

So, watch your life for every form of selfishness and make sure you deal with it with the word of God and by the power of the Spirit of God. And may God strengthen you to do so. Amen.

Have a great week.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones General Post Youth for Jesus

Title: Don’t let it discourage you|Fire in my bone

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: September 06, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 17

“After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself.” (2Chron 32:1NIV)

What is the first thing that is brought to our notice in our opening text? Hezekiah’s faithfulness to God! When this man became king, as we have in bible accounts, he gave himself to faithfully doing the will of God. First, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple that his father, Ahaz, had shut, repaired the temple and also purified it. That was so that true worship could begin again in the land. (Cf. 2Chro 29)

Second, Hezekiah led the people to celebrate the feast of Passover in a very grand way, equal only to the way it was celebrated in the days of King Solomon. Third, Hezekiah saw to it that the welfare of the priests and Levites in the land was no longer neglected. He encouraged and led the people to bring in all the tithes, firstfruits and offerings required by the law to the house of God. And all these things were done in accordance to the will of God. (Cf. 2Chro 30-31)

Now one would expect that with this man’s demonstration of faithfulness, trouble would be very far from him and his land. But it was not so at all. As we see in our opening text, after all that he had so faithfully done for the Lord and his land, a very powerful enemy showed up and invaded his land, thinking to conquer it for himself. And his threats were so frightening that the whole nation convulsed with fear. But why should this happen after Hezekiah had demonstrated faithfulness in serving God and doing His will? Did he not do enough to please God? Yes, he did.

What, then, was the problem? Well, the coming of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, to attack Hezekiah and his people was not God’s doing at all. That was Satan’s doing. And he did it to discourage this king and his people. He did it to make him think that doing the will of God was a waste of time.Thankfully, Hezekiah did not fall into his trap. Hezekiah did not give up on God because he was attacked by an enemy after faithfully doing His will.

Instead, he cried out to God for help and encouraged the people of the land to trust in Him. And did God fail him or not? No, God did not fail him. On the contrary, God sent an angel of His that killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand soldiers of the Assyrians in one night. So, their king withdrew to his own country, humbled and defeated, without firing a single shot of arrow at the land of Judah. (Cf. 2Kings 18-19)

What is the point of this? It is that whether you do the will of God or not, challenges of life are inevitable. So, don’t think that challenges will not come to you because you are doing the will of God. Otherwise, you will often find yourself falling into Satan’s traps of discouragement. See, doing the will of God will not exempt any of us from life’s challenges. At least, from what we see in Scriptures, doing the will of God did not exempt our Lord Jesus from life’s challenges.

For example, the bible says, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”” (Matt 4:1-2NIV)

Did you see that? After fasting forty days and forty nights, one would expect that the first thing Jesus would witness was a mighty provision of God or an opportunity to preach a great sermon or heal the sick. But that was not happened at all. Instead, it was Satan who showed up again. He had been tempting the Lord all through those days of fasting and praying, as indicated in the Scriptures. And when He was done, he still showed up again to tempt Him to abuse the power of God, tempt God and even engage in idolatry.

Now did the Lord allow that to discourage Him? No! Did He allow that to make Him think that praying and fasting all those days and nights was a waste of time? No! Instead, He drew His strength from the Spirit of God and resisted the devil with the word of God. And did He succeed in driving him away or not? He did.

In the same vein, we too can expect Satan to show up in our lives anytime, especially when we are feeling high and excited in the spirit because we are doing the will of God. And his coming at such times will be to discourage us and make us think that praying, fasting, giving, preaching or doing anything that is the will of God for us is a waste of time. We, however, must be ready like Jesus to resist him with the word of God until he flees from us. And he will surely flee. So, stay encouraged, beloved. It always pays to do the will of God.

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

An opportunity for Him to work | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: September 03, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 18

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours immeasurably from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to the month of September 2023. My prayer is that God will glorify Himself in very obvious ways in every area of your life in the month and throughout the remaining part of the year. Amen.

As we know from Scriptures, the world we live in is one that lies under the power of Satan (1John 5:19). That is why there is no part of the world in which his wicked works are not obvious. However, God, in His kindness, already sent His Son to destroy the works of this wicked and evil being (1John 3:8). And wherever He is permitted by men to work, Satan’s works will surely be destroyed there and God will be glorified.

For example, John gives us this account concerning a man that our Lord Jesus once healed:

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9:1-4NIV)

Did you see that? That man was born blind, not because of anybody’s sins but because Satan attacked him. So, it is not every time that sin is responsible for people’s sufferings. There are times that people suffer simply because Satan just want to make them suffer. And if they do not know how to resist him and resist him, he will have his way and make them suffer, if God does not stop him. That was what happened in Job’s case. And that was also what happened in the case of the man we are considering.

Satan attacked this man when he was still in his mother’s womb to make him blind. How he did that we would not know. But it is clear that he was not resisted by the parents of the man. Why? Well, the reason would most likely be that they, like the apostles of the Lord, believed that he was suffering because of his own sins or their sins. And that being the case, they could not see Satan in the picture at all. All they could see was God punishing him for their sins. So, their hope could only be that He would one day have mercy on them and take His hand of judgment away from the young man.

However, when Jesus got involved in the situation, He changed the whole narrative. First, He told His disciples that the man was not in that condition because of anyone’s sins. Second, He told them that what happened to him was not the work of God but of the devil. Third, He showed them that every activity of the devil, like that man’s blindness, gives God an opportunity to do His own work of salvation and deliverance. Fourth, He showed them that His purpose of being in the world was to do the works of God among men. And did He do the work of God in the life of that man or not? He did it. He made sure he began to see from that day on. And that caused God to be glorified by the man, his parents and other well-wishers. (Cf. John 9:6-38)

In like manner, God is seeking to be glorified in your life too by destroying whatever work Satan has done or is doing there. And He does not care whether sin is responsible for his works in your life or not. All He wants you to know is that whatever Satan is doing in your life is an opportunity for Him to work in your life and be glorified. So, allow Him to work and turn things around for you good.

How, then, do we allow God to work in us and destroy the works of the devil? First, it is by asking Him to do so. So, pray to Him about whatever work of the devil you can perceive in your life and tell Him to destroy it. And it shall be so. Then we can allow Him to work by acting on whatever He tells us to do. As we see in the case of that blind man, the Lord told him to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. And when he did, he came back home seeing. If we too will take whatever He says about our salvation, prosperity and healing seriously and act on it, His works will manifest in our lives and people will glorify Him through us.

Have a fabulous week.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Trouble instead of help |Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: August 30, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 1

“Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came to him, but he gave him trouble instead of help. Ahaz took some of the things from the temple of the LORD and from the royal palace and from the princes and presented them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help him.” (2Chron 28:20-21NIV)

One of the things made abundantly clear to us in Scriptures is that no one can help anyone that God does not help. So, if you want true help about any matter of life, the one you should turn to is God. Otherwise, anyone or anything you turn to for help apart from God may end up making an already bad situation worse for you.

As we see in our opening bible text, there was a time that King Ahaz of Judah turned to the king of the Assyrians, Tiglath-Pileser, for help. Why? He was being attacked by his neighbouring nations from different angles. So, he was losing his people and his territory at a very alarming rate. (Cf. 2Chro 28:5-15)

But why was he losing his people and land in that manner? That was the first question he ought to have asked himself. His father, Jotham, did not lose his people or land at all. Instead, he made them stronger and richer. Also, his grandfather, Uzziah, did not lose his people or land at all. Instead, he made them stronger and richer. (Cf. 2Chro 26-27)

What, then, was his own problem? Why could he not keep what was passed on to him? He could not because he did not take God seriously as did his grandfather and father. Instead of worshiping God, he gave himself to the worship of idols and the practice of divination. Therefore, God withdrew His protection from him and from the land. That, of course, was the reason for his trouble. (Cf. 2Chro 28:1-8)

So, even though Ahaz needed help in order to be saved from his enemies, there was something he needed more than help. And that was repentance. If he had repented and turned back to God, the God of the nation that he was king over, he would have had all the help he needed to defeat his enemies and win his land and people back.

Ahaz, however, was too arrogant to humble himself before God and seek His face. Therefore, he turned to the king of the Assyrians for help. Unfortunately, as we are told in our opening bible text, instead of getting help from this man, all he got from him was trouble. And even though he gave him some of the treasures laid up by his ancestors in the temple of God and in his palace, all he still got from him was trouble.

Eventually, he gave himself to more idolatry and messed up the entire nation even more before his meaningless reign ended.In like manner, there are many like Ahaz today who are going from place to place and people to people for all kinds of assistance or support. But what they need may not just be help but to take God seriously in their lives and stop living according to their own ways. And as long as they do not realise this and act accordingly, any help they find may soon enough prove to be no help at all but trouble.

Then, like Ahaz, there are many all around the world who keep looking for help and solutions to the problems of their lives outside God. And will they get helped? No! Instead, like Ahaz, what they will keep finding are people like Tiglath-Pileser, who will keep taking from them but never giving them anything but trouble.

Now perhaps you already have such people in your life. They keep asking you to give them all kinds of things and taking you to all kinds of places, all in the name of wanting to help you. Yet their help is not forthcoming. If you are not careful, such people will be the ones that will run you dry. Then you will wake up one day and realise that your home, possessions, savings, health and everything else you care for are gone. Yet you have not been helped.

So, stop seeking help where it does not exist. Your help is with only one person. And that person is God. You just need to humble yourself, put your trust in Him and stop relying on your understanding. And He will see to it that you get the right kind of help you need without having to lose your head, sleep, relationships or resources.

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

It won’t be hidden from you | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: August 27, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 17

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am glad to welcome you to the last week of the month of August 2023. I pray that God will always see to it that nothing needed for your prosperity and peace of mind is hidden from you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As reported by Luke in his gospel, our Lord Jesus once wept over the city of Jerusalem, saying, “…”If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace — but now it is hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19:42NIV) What was hidden from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as indicated by the Lord here? What they needed for their peace!

In like manner, there are many today that what is needed for their peace of mind and prosperity is hidden from them. And as long as it is hidden from them, they will know no peace of mind or prosperity. Instead, they will only keep wasting their time, energy and resources, seeking peace and rest where they do not exist. So, among the prayers you ought to be offering regularly in life is that God will open your eyes to see those things that are meant for your peace and prosperity, according to every day’s need.

What made the widow of Zarephath and her son survive the three years of famine that the land of Israel experienced during the reign of King Ahab? It was the fact that God opened her eyes to see what she needed to do for their survival. How God did this we are not told. But we do know from the bible that God specifically told Elijah that he had commanded this widow to take care of him during the famine. And because the woman acted based on what God had told her, she and her son survived the famine. (Cf. 1Kings 17)

Also, what made Jabesh come out of poverty and a life of sorrow and pain? It was the fact that his eyes were opened someday to see that if he would pray to God about his situation, things would actually be turned around for him. And when he took a step of faith and prayed to God about his matter, God answered him and made him more honourable than all his brothers. (Cf. 1Chro 4:9-10)

Then what made the woman with the issue of blood receive her healing, after twelve years of looking for deliverance in vain? It was the fact that her eyes were one day opened to see that if she could just locate our Lord Jesus and touch the hem of His garment, she would be well. And when she found Jesus and touched the hem of His garment, she was instantly healed of her malady. (Cf. Mark 5:25-34)

Now notice that in all the examples that I just gave, nobody told these people what they needed to do to experience their salvation, prosperity or healing. It was God Himself that revealed to their hearts what they must do. And that may be what you too need. I mean that what you also need to experience the promotion, healing or peace of mind that God has prepared for you may not be something that any preacher or prophet knows or can tell you. Rather, it may be something God Himself has to reveal to you personally.

Therefore, pray that God will see to it that everything you need to experience the fullness of His goodness in your life will no longer be hidden from you but clearly made known to you. Then pray that as God is showing you what to do to move forward in life or to experience healing or salvation in your life, you will also have enough wisdom, strength and boldness to act accordingly. And so shall it be, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: What if things were worse?|Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: August 23, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 15

“The LORD said, “Jeremiah, if you get tired racing against people, how can you race against horses? If you can’t even stand up in open country, how will you manage in the jungle by the Jordan?”” (Jer 12:5GNT)

Those were God’s words to Jeremiah, when he began to question Him about His commitment to giving justice. In Jeremiah’s estimation, the wicked and the faithless in his land were becoming more and more prosperous. And that was happening at the expense of the righteous and godly people in the land.Yet he could not see God doing anything about it. He could not see Him punishing the wicked for their wickedness, dragging them off to be killed or destroyed. So, he got upset and began to take God to task about His justice.

Now when people begin to question God and find fault with Him about His devotion to giving justice here on earth, they may soon enough become part of the wickedness they have been complaining about. This is why Solomon says, “When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.” (Eccl 8:11NIV)

In other words, when people do not immediately receive due punishments for their wickedness or wrong acts, they will most likely encourage themselves in the practice of wickedness.But then, it is not only those who have been given to wickedness that this may affect. It may also affect those who have been given to righteousness and are looking forward to seeing justice prevail where they are. If they cannot obviously see the wicked being punished by the leadership of where they are, they will expect God to step in and punish them.

And if they wait for a while and can’t also see God punishing them in ways that are obvious to them, they may give up on righteous living and become a part of the problem they used to complain about.Perhaps this is addressing you. Perhaps you too have given up on doing what is right or are about to give up on it because of the injustice you are witnessing everyday where you are.

And that is because you have a feeling that God is helpless or slow or unconcerned, as far as matters concerning justice are concerned. Well, if that is the case, then, you are like Jeremiah of bible days. He too, as I pointed out earlier, at some point felt that God was not showing enough concern, if any at all, about the injustice in his country.

Otherwise, He would have stepped in and begun to judge all those involved. But when God was going to answer him, the response he expected was not what he got. He probably was expecting God to comfort him and tell him to be patient with Him and that He was soon going to do something about the injustice in the land. But God did not say that at all. Instead, as we see in our opening text, He told him to stop being childish and grow up.

According to God, if Jeremiah could not cope in a race with men like himself, how would he cope, if he were to be in a race with horses? Or if he could not cope with life in an open country, how was he going to cope if he were to be dropped off in a jungle? And what did God mean by saying these things? It was that Jeremiah should not use the unjudged injustice in his land as an excuse for misbehaving or abandoning righteous living.

Why? It was because whatever form of unjudged injustice he could see in the land was nothing to compare to what was in existent in some other places. And if he could not cope with it, how would he be able to cope, if he were to find himself in a more wicked place?Now did God say these things to give Jeremiah the feeling that He had no interest in giving justice on earth? No!

Rather, He said it to let him know that whatever form of unjudged wickedness or injustice he saw in the land should not be used by him as an excuse for not doing what was right or for grumbling. As we see in Scriptures, God dispenses justice here on earth every day (Zeph 3:5).

And that it is not obvious to us does not mean that it is not happening. So, we should not use the fact that we have not seen certain acts of wickedness or injustice dealt with as our excuse for giving up on righteous living or for living a life of grumbling.

Instead, we should learn to concentrate on doing the will of God with hearts filled with thanksgiving. That is because regardless of how terrible the injustice or wickedness we see where we are may be, God will have us know that there are places where things are worse. And if we will not learn to take advantage of His grace to deal with whatever evil we are confronted with where we are now, how are we going to survive, if things should get worse there or if we should find ourselves in a worse place?

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

Don’t judge with your experience | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: August 20, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 16

Beloved: grace and peace be yours immeasurably from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. I welcome you to another week of the month of August 2023. And my prayer is that your heart will always be strengthened to never replace the word of God with anything else in your life, so that may experience all of God’s good purposes for your life. Amen.

Recently, I was readying a book of a respected man of God and came upon a part of it in which he was trying to use his experiences in business to establish that his interpretation of certain things said in Scriptures about tithing and the giving of firstfruits was correct. And while nothing is wrong with using our life’s experiences to illustrate bible truths, we must avoid making the mistake of interpreting the word of God with our experiences. The one that must interpret what Scriptures say to us is the Holy Spirit. And He will not interpret Scriptures using our experiences or feelings. Rather, He will interpret Scriptures using Scriptures.

Now, as we see in Scriptures, God once commanded Moses and Aaron to speak to the rock that was before the Israelites so that water would come out of it for the people to drink. But instead for them to speak to that rock, Moses smote it with the rod in his hands twice. And did water come out of it or not? Water came out of it for the people to drink. But is that to say that the experience the people had then was produced by a correct handling of the word of God? No! (Cf. Num 20:1-12)

Moses and Aaron handled the word of God incorrectly on that occasion. Yet their people experienced God’s supply of water. But to show everyone that Moses and Aaron missed it, God told them that they would not make it into the Promised Land. And it was so. So, it is possible for you to handle the word of God incorrectly and still experience what those who are handling His word correctly are experiencing. But then, unless you are shown mercy, you will have to face the repercussions of handling His word incorrectly, as Moses and Aaron did.

In like manner, we may be handling the word of God correctly and still have experiences that are contrary to what His word says. Is that to say that our experiences can invalidate the word of God? No! What, then, is the problem? There is no problem at all with us or with the word of God in such situations. All we need is just to be patient and remain steadfast in handling the truth of God that we know correctly. And at the right time, our experiences in life will be made to agree with what God has said.

As we see in the bible, when Moses first took the word of the Lord to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to set the Israelites free, things got worse for the people. But did their immediate experience at that time stop God’s word from eventually setting them free? No! His word still set them free. But Moses had to persist in confronting Pharaoh and his officials with everything God was saying to him until the Israelites were set free.

So, we too must keep on holding fast to what God has said about our lives and confronting our situations with it, even if our experiences are contrary to what He says. That is because our experiences cannot invalidate the word of God or render it impotent. But His word, if we do not give up on it, will surely change our experiences to conform with His good purpose for our lives. How long, then, shall we need to hold fast the word of God in order to experience it? We have to hold on to it till we experience what it says. And my prayer is that you will always have in you sufficient strength and courage to keep acting on what God says about every situation of your life, so that you may experience every good thing He wants you to experience in life, regardless of how long it may take. Amen.

Have a pleasant week.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Anointed but weak|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: August 09, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 13

“Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a prince and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!”” (2Sam 3:38-39NIV)

Those were David’s words after Joab had murdered Abner, Israel’s army general, in cold blood to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel. But why did he say such words? He said them because he realised that even though he was the Lord’s anointed king, he did not have it takes to keep under control some of his men.

And in this situation, he was referring to Joab and his brother Abishai. Naturally, David was supposed to have the two of them executed or banished for the roles they played in the death of Abner. That was because he did not give them any order to have the man murdered.

As we see in the account, Abner and David had just had a feast together to celebrate their alliance before Joab went after him and used deceit to kill him. So, as God’s anointed king that wanted to be just in leading the people, the right thing for him to do was to judge those murderers.But he could not do anything to them.

Why? First, as he himself admitted, they had become powerful and influential among his men. That was because they both of them were mighty men of war and had led his men to experience victory in battle many times. So, they were men that were feared, trusted and respected. That being the case, there was no way he would judge them and not create divisions among his own men. Second, these men were David’s nephews, sons of his sister Zeruiah. So, if he chose to execute or banish them because of Abner, who was not entirely a good man himself, many of the people may see him as a heartless person. His blood relationship with them, then, also weakened him and prevented him from judging them for what they did to Abner. (Cf. 1Chro 2:13-17)

Now what did David miss? Was it his fault that Joab and Abishai were his nephews? No! And did he do any wrong by recognising their prowess and allowing them to lead his men in battle? No! But it is clear that he allowed their familiarity with him to breed contempt for his authority. If, right from the time they just came to him as young men, he had been strict or hard in disciplining them and showing them that he would not accept any form of disregard for his authority from them, simply because they were his blood, they would most likely not have become emboldened to do anything without his permission.

Also, David must have given these men, Joab and his brother, too much independence as leaders of his army. That was why they were bold to call Abner back on that occasion without first checking in with their king. But authority must always be checked. If you give someone some measure of authority and will not check it or place some restrictions on it, it will take the grace of God for that person not to use that authority to strengthen himself against you.As we see in David’s case, Joab and his brother used their relationship with him and the positions he gave them in his army to strengthen themselves against him. So, even though they were loyal to him to the end, they also had a culture of doing whatever pleased them, even if it was contrary to what he wanted. And he remained weak in handling them till he died. The best he could do was to entrust the judgment of Joab to his son Solomon, who, of course, was too wise for the man to contend with (1Kings 2:5-6).

Well, what is the point of this? It is that you should not allow any relationship to make you weak in using your position to do the will of God. It does not matter whether it is a blood relationship, work relationship or spiritual relationship, don’t handle it in a way that it will introduce weakness of character into your life. We have seen husbands made weak by their wives and vice versa, so that they are now unable to always do the will of God with their positions.

And we have seen parents made weak by their children and vice versa, so that they are now unable to do what is right where God has placed them. We have even seen employers, bosses and anointed preachers made weak through some unclean relationships with those under them, so that they are now unable to do what God wants with their respective positions.

So, you really can be made weak in doing what is right or in judging wickedness by the people you love, trust or admire. And that is what will most likely happen, if you will not exhibit discipline and self-control in your dealings with them all the time.

Who, then, knows how far they will go in abusing your relationship with them? Remember that the only reason Abner responded to Joab’s call to come back that day was his relationship with David. And he took advantage of that to destroy him. Therefore, don’t let anyone make you weak and, by so doing, turn you into a partaker of their sins. And be very careful too not to weaken anybody in doing what is right through your relationship with them or through the authority they have entrusted to you. Otherwise, like Joab, you may expose yourself to God’s judgment.

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

Be patient with God | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: August 13, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 15

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great joy that I welcome you to another week of the month of August 2023. My prayer is that God will continually equip you with sufficient faith and patience to receive and enjoy all the good things He has prepared for you to prosper in life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the things we learn from Scripture is that faith in God alone is not enough to receive and enjoy His promises or provisions; we also need patience. For example, we are told this in the bible: “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.” (Heb 6:12-15NIV)

What is the first instruction we are given here? It is that we must not be lazy in our walk of faith. In other words, we must take our relationship with God very seriously, doing whatever needs to be done to build it up. Then we are told to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what God promised them. So, faith and patience, not faith only, must work together in order for us to fully experience the goodness of God in our lives.

Now Abraham’s case is used to illustrate this for us. Abraham, as we see in Scriptures, was truly a man of faith. However, in order for him to receive God’s promise of a son through his wife Sarah, he had to add patience to his faith. But Abraham was not always patient with God. He had to learn it in a hard way. When God first told him that he was going to give him a son and multiply his descendants through that son, he believed Him. And God knew that he truly believed Him. So, He counted his faith to him as righteousness. (Cf. Gen 15:1-6)

However, few years later, his wife, Sarah, grew impatient and advised him to try her maidservant, Hagar, to see whether God’s promise may be fulfilled through her. And he listened to her, without talking to God at all about it in prayer. Yet Hagar became pregnant for him indeed, making it look like they were in the will of God. But soon enough, they both realised that they had missed it. Why? Hagar began to cause trouble for them, doing things that would destroy their marriage of many years. And if he had not been willing to let his wife deal with the young lady, in spite of her pregnant condition, their home would have collapsed. (Cf. Gen 16)

But what led them into all that trouble? Was it unbelief in God? No! Rather, it was their impatience with Him. They had faith in God and were actually trusting Him for their own child. But instead of being patient with Him, they tried to help Him fulfil His promise to them. And that almost ruined them.

Well, much later, God would appear to Abraham again and let him know that he should have been patient. He told him that the son he got through Hagar, Ishmael, was not the fulfilment of His promise to him. So, he would have to wait a little longer for that son that would be the fulfilment of His promise to come. And when he did, Isaac was given to him as the son of God’s promise. (Cf. Gen 18&21)

Now I am sure it must have been a hard thing for Abraham to accept the fact that Ishmael, the son whom he loved and whom he had spent years taking care of was not God’s choice in fulfilling the promise of blessing the whole world through his offspring. But there was nothing he could do about it. He just had to abandon the innocent boy. And that is showing us something of the nature of pains we could bring into our lives and other innocent people’s lives through our impatience with God. It could be something that would not heal for generations to come.

So, if you truly trust God to fulfil all His good word concerning your promotion, prosperity, peace of mind, health, safety and so on, then, learn to also be patient with Him, regardless of contrary circumstances. Don’t try to help Him by stealing, visiting diviners or getting involved in adultery. That will only put you in trouble sooner or later, if it seems to be working. The only way you can help Him is to stay in His will. And I pray that your heart will be strengthened to patiently walk in His will all the time, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Surviving in Ahab’s court|By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: August 09, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 13

“So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Obadiah was a devoted follower of the LORD. Once when Jezebel had tried to kill all the LORD’s prophets, Obadiah had hidden 100 of them in two caves. He put fifty prophets in each cave and supplied them with food and water.)” (1Kings 18:3-5NIV)

The bible is full of shocking or hard-to-believe revelations and reports. And one of them is that of a man called Obadiah. Now this Obadiah was not the popular Prophet Obadiah, whose book we have in the bible. On the contrary, as we see in our opening bible verses, he was the palace administrator of King Ahab.

Who, then, was Ahab? Ahab was a well-known figure to bible readers. And that is because he was one of the most wicked kings that the nation of Israel had before they were exiled. Not only was he wicked, he also married a very wicked woman, a witch, if you would agree, called Jezebel. And this Jezebel was so wicked, ruthless and godless that even the great Prophet Elijah trembled at her threats. (Cf. 1Kings 19:1-3)

Now here is what the bible says about the two of them: “There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel.” (1Kings 21:25-26NIV)

Did you see that? Ahab and his woman, Jezebel, were monsters, as far as God was concerned. You can, then, imagine how hazardous living with them or working for them would look like.Yet, as we see in our opening bible text, Obadiah, who happened to be their palace administrator, was a devout worshipper of God. That sounds quite implausible, or what do you think? How could a man who worked every day and so close to these evil people be a godly man? Was that even a possibility? Yet the bible says that he was not just a godly man but also a devout worshipper of God.

That means he was radically committed to worshipping God. Then, to make us understand how devoted to God this man was, we are told of how he saved and protected 100 true prophets of God from his wicked mistress, Jezebel. Not only that, he provided them with food and water throughout the period that they were hidden away from the reach of the witch. That, evidently, was something that could have cost him his head. Yet he did it. His devotion to God, then, could not have been a joke at all.

But how did he survive among these godless people? How did he not lose his faith or life among them? We are not given any clue in the account. But we do know from Scriptures that anyone who will survive like that among cruel, wicked and godless people must take God and His word seriously. In other words, such a person will first give himself to studying and meditating on God’s word. Second, he will be determined to act on what he knows to be the will of God. Third, he will, through prayers and thanksgiving, be dependent on God for the wisdom, favour, strength, boldness and protection needed to do His will. Otherwise, he would be crushed or polluted by the wickedness where he is.Now since Obadiah was neither crushed nor polluted by the wickedness in Ahab’s palace, it must mean that he was highly blessed by God with wisdom, favour, strength, courage and protection to survive there.

So, in case your excuse for turning away from God or from doing his will is that you are living with Ahab and Jezebel, remember that you will not be the first or the last person to live with them. Obadiah lived with them and survived. And that was because he trusted God and was determined to live to please Him.

If you too will begin to trust Him and be determined to do His will, He will make you survive around them.Then you must also never forget this: that someone is living and working with Satan does not mean that he is another Satan.

Often, we assume that those who work under or with cruel and godless people must be cruel and godless themselves. But it is not always so. Life’s circumstances that we may never understand may place someone right under the leadership of a wicked soul or in their house. That, however, does not mean them they are not different. They may just be different. And if we allow sentiments to make us assume the worst of them, we may miss whatever good thing God may have done for us through them or the opportunity to be used by God to encourage them or lift them out of trouble.

So, next time who want to judge someone on the basis of the evil character of the people around them or in their lives, remember that they may just be an exception, another Obadiah. You will do well, then, to first study to know who they really are. That way, you will not jump into hasty conclusions about them and condemn the innocent.