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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

A culture of making excuses | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: March 22, 2023 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 45

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’” (Matt 25:24-25NIV)

If we are ever going to become the persons God wants us to be and accomplish anything tangible in this life, one of the things we must rid our lives of is a culture of making excuses. An elderly friend once told me something a senior colleague had told him about excuses. And what was it? It was that excuses don’t move the work forward; excuses don’t get anything worthwhile done.

Now is that not true? Is it not true that excuses don’t get anything worthwhile done? It is true. So, don’t train yourself to be making excuses for not doing what you are supposed to do. Otherwise, you may end up keeping yourself stagnant for life.

As we see in our opening bible text, one servant that was given a huge sum of money to work with by his master only had excuses to give him, when he called him in to give an account of his service. His master, as the story goes, had gone on a long journey after giving him and two other servants of his huge sums of money to do business with. But while others went straightaway to put their money to work and profit with it, he was busy occupying himself with irrelevancies. (Cf. Matt 25:14-25)

Therefore, when his master came back and begun to question him about the money given to him, he lost no time at all to present his excuses. But he had months or perhaps years to work with what he was given. Why did he do nothing with it? Why was he comfortable playing around and doing nothing that his master would consider significant? The answer is simple. This man had no intention of working at all with what he was given. That was why, as his master pointed out, he did not even consider putting the money with him in a bank, so that he would receive it back with interest.

Now if you had ever dealt with people who have a culture of making excuses, you would have observed that they hardly use their heads. And don’t miss my point here. I am not saying that they are stupid. No, they are not. They are just people who usually don’t want to use their brains to get anything serious done well. So, while they are making excuses for their failure, non-performance or poor performance, what they could have done differently will be obvious to you. And you will be left wondering why they could not see something as obvious as that.

Well, the problem is that when someone has a culture of making excuses, it will rob him of initiatives. That is because instead of training his mind to solve problems, he will be training it to make excuses. Therefore, it does not matter how simple the task you give him is, he will surely find himself an excuse to fail at it or to defend his failure in handling it. And such a person has nowhere important to get to in life. He can only expect to daily diminish in relevance.

As we see in the case of the servant mentioned above, when his master would judge him, he called him lazy, unprofitable and wicked. Then he asked that the money with him be given to another person, who had shown himself profitable, and that he be thrown into a place of suffering. And that is the kind of sentence anyone who has a culture of making excuses can expect to receive from both man and God. (Cf. Matt 25:26-30)

So, if unconsciously or consciously you have been training yourself to make excuses instead of training yourself to get results in whatever you are meant to do, it won’t be long before you gain a reputation for being lazy, unprofitable and wicked at work, in your home, in your school, in the church or wherever you find yourself. Then all the people who could have done you good and help you rise in life will start withdrawing themselves and their favours from you.

Now that will be terrible for you, won’t it? It will. So, shape up and rid yourself of the evil mentality of making excuses for failure. And may God strengthen you to do so, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

Don’t relent | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: March 19, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 46

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to another week of the month of March. My prayer is that God will always strengthen you in every good word and deed, so that you will not be unprofitable in any way. Amen.

One of the things that are abundantly made clear to us in Scriptures is that we must not relent in generosity. That is because God will surely reward us for it. For example, writing to the Galatians, Paul says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Gal 6:9NIV) Did you see that? If it is not possible for us to become weary in doing good, we will not be given this instruction. If situations that could make us become weary in doing good do not exist, we will not be told not to become weary in doing good.

But such situations exist. Look at the challenges we are facing in the country, for instance. Fuel price has terribly gone up. There is scarcity of cash to spend everywhere. We also have to daily deal with epileptic power supply. And these things are causing prices of goods and services to increase daily, even though the money many are making is not increasing.

Now because of these things, many who have been generous to God and men before are drawing back and using the situation as their excuse for not being generous again. And if those who have been generous can act like that, how do you expect those who have never been generous to act? Well, the word of God has anticipated that things that can make us relent in generosity can happen. That is why it tells us not to become weary in doing so. Why? It is because at the right time God will reward us for all our acts of generosity. He will not overlook or forget any one of them.

So, if you have been drawing back on giving to the people in your life, you need to renew your devotion to doing so. And if you have been drawing back on giving for the work of God and to the people feeding you with His word, you need to renew your devotion to doing so. Otherwise, you will be cheating yourself of all the benefits of doing so. Remember that you cannot reap what you have not sowed. So, if you refuse to plant because you think your seed is not much and you eat up everything, you will surely have nothing to reap at the time of harvest.

This, I believe, is what Paul has in mind when he says the following to the Corinthians about their giving:

“And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.” (2Cor 8:10-12NIV)

From what Paul says here, it is clear that the Corinthian brethren had once been devoted to giving generously to support other churches of God in need. In fact, this apostle says that they were not only eager to give but also prompt in doing so. But at some point, for some reasons we would not know, they began to draw back in generosity and would not complete what they started.

Therefore, Paul had to address them in his letter about the matter and told them it is not enough for one to express willingness to give; you also have to match up that willingness by actually giving according to your means. And as he furthers points out, as long as the willingness is there, whatever we give will be accepted by God based on what we have and not what we do not have.

So, as long as you have something, be sure you are giving out of it instead of making excuses. That is because God will not reward your excuses but your obedience to His word. My prayer, then, is that you will never find yourself in a position in life in which you will be so empty that you will have nothing to give, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a peaceful 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

Be ready for Sanballat|By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: March 15, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 44

“But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?” I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”” (Neh 2:19-20NIV)

Why were Sanballat and the people with him not happy that someone with authority and brains had come to help the Israelites? Though we are not given any direct reasons in Scriptures, it must have been because they were happy seeing them wallow in poverty, misery and insecurity. Apart from that, they must also have been benefiting from their miseries.

See, when people are profiting from your poverty, shame or illness, they will not want you out of it. Instead, they will want your condition to remain the same or permanent. So, if such people should begin to see you rise above that situation or should see someone coming to help you out of it, they may get seriously offended.

Also, if people have been happy seeing you wallow in misery, stagnation or shame, probably because you have offended them in the past or because they are just jealous of you, they will not be happy, if you should begin to take steps to move out of that situation. Then if people have been together with you at a particular level of life, not necessarily that of extreme poverty, and have become used to it, they may not be happy for you, if you begin to take steps that will make you rise above them or if things begin to happen in your life that are taking you above them.

But then, it is not everyone that is unhappy about your progress that will take steps to speak against it or to stop it. Some will only be angry with you for a while and then get over it. Whereas some will go beyond being angry with you to actually doing things that will discourage you or stop you in your path of breakthrough and advancement.

Now people like that are just like the Sanballat and Tobiah of Nehemiah’s days. And you have to be ready for them, if you are praying to God to elevate you and also working hard towards being elevated. You have to be ready for their taunts, mockeries and even physical or spiritual attacks. Otherwise, they will frustrate all your attempts and steps towards rising above your current level or situation.

As we see Nehemiah’s account, even though Sanballat, Tobiah and the thugs with them knew quite well that Nehamiah had the authority of King Artaxerxes to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and establish the people there, they still made up their minds to do all they could to discourage and stop him. They abused him and the people of God with him. They said the work they were doing was nothing, something that a fox could easily pull down by climbing it. They equally made attempts to attack Nehemiah and all the people working with him.

But did they succeed? No! Why did they not succeed? First, it was because Nehemiah did not show himself to be a weakling, someone that could easily be frightened or threatened through some small talks from some thugs (Neh 2:20). Second, it was because Nehemiah led the people to put their trust in God for their success and protection (Neh 4:4 & Neh 6:9&14). Third, it was because the man and his men were vigilant all the time. The moment they knew that Sanballat and his men would do anything to harm and stop them, they put everybody on red (danger) alert. So, while each of them was working with one hand, he was also holding his weapon in another hand (Neh 4:16-23).

In like manner, if you don’t want people like Sanballat and Tobiah who want to see you make no progress in life but to die in misery to succeed, you must first of all show them that you are not a weakling, one that they could easily frighten or discourage with some words of threats or mockery. Second, entrust your success and safety into God’s hands always. In other words, be devoted to praying and to proclaiming the good word of God concerning your life.

Then be always watchful and ready to do whatever lawful thing that is within your power to do to frustrate anyone that is trying to pull you down or hinder your progress. And just as God gave Nehemiah success and also protected him, so that he completed the wall of Jerusalem in just 52 days, He will give you too success and protect you, so that you will accomplish what you set your heart on accomplishing in record time.

Cheers!

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

If you want to be used by Him | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: March 12, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 45

Beloved: grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I gladly welcome you to another week of the month of March 2023. My prayer is that God will always find you useful in communicating His goodness to those in your world, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

God, as we see in the bible, is always looking for those that He can use to communicate His will and His goodness to humanity. And all He requires are those who will make themselves available to Him wholeheartedly. Then, even if they do not have any special ability that could make them outstanding among men, He will equip them with all that they need to serve His purpose. And if they will go on like that to faithfully serve Him, their names may end up being known all over the world.

What special abilities did people like Peter, James and John have to become men that God used in making His glory known all over the world? None that we are aware of! The bible indeed speaks of men like Joseph, Solomon and Daniel who were exceptional in wisdom, knowledge and understanding. But the men who were first called by the Lord to be His apostles in taking the good news of God’s grace all around the world are not described in the bible as exceptional in any way. On the contrary, we are told in the bible that most of them were unschooled. Yet God used them to do fantastic things, things too much for the wisdom of the world to grasp.

Why, then, did God pick such men to use? The bible says it is so that no one would be able to boast that it’s because of certain abilities that he possesses that God is using him. God is able to use anyone, regardless of their abilities or inadequacies. In fact, the bible says God is able to use foolish people to shame wise people and people that are considered to be nothing to shame very important people. (Cf. 1Cor 1:26-29)

Now what does God need to use such people? First, He needs them to be available to Him. Being available to God in this manner, of course, goes beyond being present where He is. It also involves showing that you are present where you are for Him. Someone can be present somewhere and still not be available to help or serve anyone. So, if you want God to use you, in spite of what you have or do not have, always show yourself as someone that is available for Him to use. (Cf. Isaiah 6:1-8)

Second, God needs those that He will use to willingly yield themselves to Him (Rom 12:1; James 4:7). That means they have to submit to Him to do things the way He wants them done and not according to their own desire. It follows, then, that anyone that is not ready to submit to God and do things His way cannot be used by Him to accomplish His good purpose, even if the person is available.

Third, God needs such people to be ready to purify themselves. God is not just after what we can do for Him but also after the heart with which we do it. The kind of heart with which we do His work will either make it effective in accomplishing His purpose or corrupt His work. So, we must be ready to let Him purify us of anything that could contaminate His work through us and make it unprofitable. Anyone, then, who is opposed to words of rebuke, correction or discipline is not a fit candidate for His work, however gifted he may be. (Cf. 2Timothy 2:20-21)

Well, the apostles of old met those requirements, even though they were not educated, influential or wealthy people at the time they were called by the Lord. They all made themselves available to be used by the Lord, yielded themselves to serve Him as He pleased and also surrendered themselves to be washed and made clean by Him. So, He took them, build them up and used them in ways nobody ever thought was possible. And if we too want to be used by Him in like manner, all we need is to do as they did.

Have a very 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

Beyond the face value | By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: March 08, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 43

“Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the LORD that if you don’t go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come upon you from your youth till now.”” (2Sam 19:5-7NIV)

As we are shown in the bible, there was a time (before David became king) that three of his mighty men risked their lives by fighting their way through the enemy lines in order to get water for him from a well near the gate of Bethlehem. But he would not drink the water they brought for him. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to God (2Sam 23:13-17).

Why did he do that? Was it because he did not appreciate what those men did? No, not at all! He did appreciate what they did with all his heart. However, he felt that their sacrifice was way too much for him to utilise. In other words, he was looking beyond the water that was brought to him to the effort that made it available. He was considering what those men went through to be able to bring him the water. One, two or all three of them could have lost their lives while fighting to get the water. So, he reasoned that the cost of the water brought to him was the value of the lives of the three men that brought it and did not consider himself worthy of drinking it. That was why he offered it to God.

Unfortunately, years later, when an entire army risked their lives to save him from the rebellion of his son Absalom, he did not come out to welcome and celebrate them for what they did. He did not even think of giving God an offering for them. Instead, he stayed indoors to mourn his dead son, Absalom. And that was why, as we see in our opening text, Joab, the commander of his army, told him to his face that he was being ungrateful.

As Joab pointed out to him, instead of looking at the invaluable sacrifice his men made for him, his family and his dynasty, he was brooding over the loss a rebellious son that brought death on himself. He went on to tell him that if he failed to pull himself together and speak encouraging words to the men that sacrificed their lives for his safety, he would soon lose all of them along with his throne.

What is the point of all this? It is that there are times that we (all of us) also act like David and undermine the significance of what people are doing for us or have done for us. It is not that we don’t appreciate them at all. But we don’t appreciate them enough to show it. And that may be because we are looking at the face value of what they have done for us or given to us. Or it may be because we think they are more than capable of doing for us what they have done for us or of giving to us what they have given to us.

But people’s act of kindness or generosity are not to be treated by us like that. Instead, they are to be treated with consideration and thoughtfulness. In other words, we must always look beyond what we are receiving to what has accomplished it. What we are receiving may be free. But that does not mean it is cheap. And even if what we are receiving is free and cheap, it does not mean that the effort that made it available to us is cheap.

Why does our Lord say that He is going to reward anyone that gives any of His people just a cup of cold water to drink? Is it because a cup of water is expensive? No! A cup of water can be gotten free, even from strangers, in most cases, unless there is a drought where we are. However, even though a cup of water can be gotten from almost anybody for free, the effort that produces it is never cheap. (Cf. Matt 10:42)

Someone, for instance, fetched the water from which that cup of it that you are receiving is taken. Some people dug the well or sank the borehole where it was gotten. Somebody paid for the services of those who sank the bore hole. Somebody bought the equipment they used in sinking the borehole. Somebody also bought the cup you are going to drink from. Someone equally washed the cup and someone paid for the soap being used to wash it. Do you want me to continue to list the things involved for you? I am sure you don’t, for you will soon find it boring.

My point, at any rate, is that even if it is a cup of water someone has freely brought to you, appreciate the person for it. It may not satisfy you fully. Yet appreciate the one who has brought it to you profusely instead of allowing your emotions to get in the way. That is because the cost of everything you receive from people is always beyond what meets the eyes. Efforts beyond your imaginations have gone into the process.

So, before you open your mouth to say to anyone, “Is that all you can do for me?” or “If I were in your position, I would do more than this,” consider these things carefully. And don’t let the spirit of ingratitude rule you. Otherwise, it may not be long at all before you lose the devotion or help of most, if not all, of the good people in your life.

All this, however, is not an excuse for you to be stingy and doing for others less than you can. I mean that you should not use what I am saying here as your excuse for being stingy or for often running away from making sacrifices for others. God is watching you, if you are like that. And He will surely reward you accordingly. So, watch it.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Hearts always going astray By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: March 01, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 42

“So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.'”” (Heb 3:7-11NIV)

What was the problem God had with the children of Israel that Moses brought out of Egypt, as we see in our opening text? It was that their hearts were always going astray. What does that mean? Well, it means that they were not consistent and faithful in trusting God and in following Him.

Now was is that God gave these people a reason not to be consistent in trusting Him and yielding to Him? No! On the contrary, everything He did for them was done to give them no room to doubt His faithfulness in taking care of them and leading them to the place of rest He had prepared for them.

Nonetheless, as the Spirit of God points out in our opening text, these Israelites would not utterly commit their hearts to following Him, despite all the miracles and signs that He performed for their salvation and prosperity. Instead, each time they faced a new challenge or problem, their hearts would immediately go astray. And they would be ready to grumble against Him and to turn their backs on Him.

Therefore, at some point, He got tired of their grumbling and unfaithfulness and swore that they would not enter the place of rest He had prepared for them. And did they enter it? No, they didn’t. Instead, they perished in the wilderness.

Now we are too are being warned by the Spirit of God not to be like these Israelites in our walk with God. Yes, as long as we are in this world, we cannot run away from challenges. In fact, our Lord’s own words about this are: “…In this world you will have trouble…” So, we should not consider it strange or unusual when we are confronted with diverse trials and challenges in this world. These things are to be expected. (Cf. John 16:33)

But then, in the same breath that the Lord says that we will encounter trouble in this world, He also tells us to cheer up. Why? It is because He has overcome the world for us. And as long as we put our trust in Him, He will make sure we have His peace and rest in our lives, regardless of what challenges we are faced with where we are.

So, instead of losing our mind when we are confronted with any challenge and allowing our heart to turn away from God, we should begin to remind ourselves of all the good things He has done for us in the past, which are actually uncountable. Then our hearts will be strengthened to trust Him again and again. But if we allow ourselves to forget that He has always been good to us and start talking nonsense or turning to the wisdom of men, simply because we are confronted with some challenge that seems overwhelming to us, we may just miss the experience of His rest and victory that could have been ours.

Similarly, in our relationships with men, we also need to learn to be faithful to those who have a record of being good to us or of taking good care of us. Yes, there may be times in which circumstances of life may limit them or prevent them from caring for us as they used to do or as they would love to do. Yet we must remain faithful to them. In fact, we must demonstrate compassion towards them at such times and consider ways to be of help to them.

But if we begin to abuse or threaten those who have been good to us or if we abandon them because of certain challenges they are facing that make it difficult or impossible for them to care for us as they used to do, we will be acting just like those Israelites of old that turned away from God any time things did not go smoothly for them. And where that is the case, there is every tendency that we will miss whatever rest or comfort God might have used them to bring to us in the future, when their lives and fortunes are restored.

Therefore, watch yourself.

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

Judging wickedness | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: March 05, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 44

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to the month of March 2023. My prayer is that God will build you up to be someone He can always rely on to restrain or judge wickedness wherever you are, so that His righteousness may reign there, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now judging wickedness or people’s misconduct is not always an easy task, even in the church of God. That is because people often frown at it or resist it. However, it is something that must regularly happen, if our society will be healthy and safe for us to dwell in. And it is only those who are always ready to judge evil and misconduct in lawful ways that can be God’s true leaders, whether in matters of this world or those of the church.

Solomon, in his book, Ecclesiastes, says this to us: “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) Did you see that? If people are misbehaving and no one will rightly punish them for their misbehaviour, they and others who see them getting away with their wickedness will surely be strengthened to misbehave even more. And if the situation continues like that, at some point, God will have to step in to judge the wicked Himself.

For example, there was a time that the men of Israel that Moses brought out of Egypt began to indulge in sexual immorality with the women of Moab. And these women took advantage of the situation to lure them into idol worship. Therefore, God sent a plague among them to destroy them. Why? It was because no one addressed or judged the matter when it got stated. If someone had addressed and judged it when it all started, then, there would not have been many of the men that would participate in the nonsense and God would not have had to step in.

In any case, by the time Moses woke up to judge the matter, many people had already lost their lives. And even while he was still addressing the judges among the people to investigate the matter and deal with those involved, a son of one of the leaders brought a Moabite woman into his tent right before their eyes in order to commit sexual immorality with her. That, as I said before, is usually what happens when people are misbehaving and no one is calling them to order. They will become more daring to do worse things. (Cf. Num 25)

Thankfully, there was a young priest that would not allow the nonsense going on in the land to continue. That was Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron. This man took a javelin, went after that stubborn Israelite and killed him and his partner right where they were committing their wickedness. And when he did that, as the account further shows, the plague immediately stopped. Then God said these words of commendation about him to Moses:

“Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.” (Num 25:11-13NIV)

Did you see that? God said that Phinehas was the reason He did not destroy all the Israelites for their sin at that time. How? According to God, Phinehas made atonement for the sins of the people by judging that man and his partner in their sin. So, when we duly judge wrongdoing or any kind of wickedness, we are in a sense making atonement for our people and preventing God’s judgment from falling on us all. And just as God honoured Phinehas on that occasion, He will honour us too.

Therefore, wherever you are in a position to judge evil or condemn people’s wrongdoings, don’t hesitate to do so. Yes, those involved, even in the church, may condemn you or call you names for doing so. But you have to do what you have to do. Otherwise, like Eli who failed to judge the wickedness of his sons, you will be inviting God to judge the matter Himself. Who, then, knows how he will judge?

Have a glorious 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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 General Post Pastor's Desk

Humble yourself to accept it | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: February 26, 2023 |Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 43

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be multiplied to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am glad to welcome you into the transition week between the months of February and March 2023. I pray that God will keep your heart ever humble to receive His word that He has given to save your soul. Amen.

In his epistle, James tells us this about the word of God and the attitude we must have towards it: “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” (James 1:21NIV) What are we to do with God’s word that is being planted in our hearts?

According to this apostle, we are to humbly accept it. That means as long as what is coming to us is the word of God, we must not reject it, ignore it or argue with it. Instead, we are to receive it with humility, knowing that even if His word sounds foolish in our ears, His foolishness is still wiser than our wisdom. (Cf. 1Cor 1:25)

Then why are we to humbly accept God’s word, as we are told by James? It is because it is able to save our souls. The word of God has the power to save us from this corrupt world and from all the schemes of the devil meant to destroy us. But we will not experience the saving power of His word, if we do not humbly accept it and act on it.

It is unfortunate that many who call themselves God’s children and who are regularly hearing His word will not humble themselves to accept it and to act on it. Why? They are proud. They think they are wiser or smarter than God and can take care of themselves without Him. But is there any of us that is really as wise as God our maker? Is there really any of us that can handle his own life by himself and not ultimately ruin it? There is none of us that is fit for this.

But each time we ignore what God is saying to us and choose to do as we please, what we are actually saying is that we are smarter than Him and have no need of His guidance and provisions. And where this is the case, salvation is bound to elude us. This explains why many of God’s people have remained stagnant for years or have not experienced salvation from certain activities of the devil in their lives. They keep hearing the word of God but will not humbly accept it. So, His word is unable to save them.

Now perhaps that is the situation with you too. Perhaps the reason the word of God has not been working in your life is that you will not humbly accept and act on what He is saying to you about your life, faith, job, business, education, marriage, health, finances and so forth. Then you need to repent and change your ways. What is the point of spending hours week after week to listen to something that you will not act on? Is it not better you stop listening to it altogether?

Well, to say the fact, it is even worse not to listen to the word of God at all. That is because that will shut you away from every opportunity to be saved by it. So, you need to keep listening to His word. But that is not enough for it work in your life. For it to work in your life and separate you from stagnation and destruction, you must also humble yourself to accept and act on it. And my prayer is that your heart will be strengthened to always do this, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a very beautiful 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

Encourage them|By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: February 22, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 41

“Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the service of the LORD. For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered fellowship offerings and praised the LORD, the God of their fathers.” (2Chron 30:22NIV)

As we see in the bible, that is, under the old covenant, it was the duty of the Levites and their priests to learn and understand the written will of God about how He was to be served and worshipped. That way, they would be able to lead the whole nation of Israel to serve God faithfully and stay away from unclean and impure things. (Cf. Ezek 44:15-31; Malach 2:7)

But as we also see in the bible, it was not every generation of these Levites and priests that demonstrated understanding and faithfulness in handling the worship of God. To say the fact, most of their generations did not handle the service of God truthfully at all. Therefore, we have several prophets of God condemning them and pronouncing God’s judgment on them.

For example, we are introduced to the sons of Eli in 1Samuel and told how they were nothing but sons of the devil, even though they were the leading priests in the land. So, God had to ruthlessly judge them and their descendants after them. Also, we have God expressing His displeasure towards the ways of the priests of the time of Malachi. Look at how this is set forth in the bible:

“And now this admonition is for you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name,” says the LORD Almighty, “I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me. “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will spread on your faces the offal from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. And you will know that I have sent you this admonition so that my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the LORD Almighty.” (Mal 2:1-4NIV)

Did you see that? God had no word of praise for those priests at all. And that was because they were corrupt and would not serve His purpose for choosing them. In other words, instead of leading the people in the true worship of God, they were misleading them and getting them into trouble.

Since the nation of Israel, then, had a history of having corrupt and irresponsible priests and Levites, what should be the response of the people, if they suddenly stumbled upon an upright priest? It should be a response of gratitude to God and encouragement to such a priest.

Now that is what we see Hezekiah demonstrating in our opening bible text. This king was leading a spiritual reformation and restoration in the land at that time. So, he needed all the spiritual help he could get. And given the history of corruption of the priests and Levites in the land, he must have been surprised to find that there were still certain priests that understood how God was to be served and that were also devoted to serving Him accordingly. So, the least he could do was to speak encouraging and kind words to those priests. That way, they would be inspired to do better and better in their service to God and to His people who had abandoned Him for years.

In like manner, any time we see people in our land who are devoted to doing what is right and to maintaining justice where they are, we should do all we can to encourage them instead of discouraging them. We know what our country looks like today. We know that it is hard to find in our neighbourhoods, schools, government offices and business centres people who are upright in heart, diligent and trustworthy.

Therefore, anytime we come across anyone who has these qualities, anytime we come across anyone who has refused to be corrupted and made irresponsible by sick our society, we, like Hezekiah, should do whatever we can to encourage them. That is how to strengthen goodness and righteousness in our world.

Interestingly, Paul admonishes us to do similar things in the church. He tells us that wherever we see church leaders that are doing well in feeding us with the word of God and leading us in His will, we should doubly honour them. Why? It is because such leaders are hard to come by. (Cf. 1Tim 5:17)

As the bible shows us, even in the days of the apostles of old, there were so many so-called church leaders that were greedy, corrupt and irresponsible. Therefore, Paul wanted the brethren to know that they must learn to encourage the upright and faithful leaders among them. Otherwise, Satan may, at some point, get these also to lose heart and start imitating the greedy, immoral, manipulative and injurious church leaders around them. (Cf. Phil 3:17-19; 2Peter 2:1-3)

The point I am making, at any rate, is that we all who love righteousness must learn to appreciate it in others. Then we can strengthen it in our world instead of weakening it.

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

If God’s choice can fail | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: February 19, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 42

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of February 2023. I pray that God will cause His peace to reign in our lives and in every part of the country all through the week, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

It is not news that we, as a nation, have now come into election weeks. And people from every part of the country will begin to go to the polls to cast their votes for their preferred candidates. Now while it is not my job to tell you who to vote for or who not to vote for among the various candidates contesting, it is my job to tell you not to put your confidence in any of them but in God.

Yes, you surely will have your reasons for wanting to vote in whoever you intend to vote in. But regardless of how genuine and upright your reasons for choosing this person may be, don’t put your confidence in them but in God. And why should you not put your confidence in them? It is because even if they are God’s candidate, they may still fail.

This, unfortunately, is what many of our church leaders who have been prophesying and saying all kinds of things about certain individuals that they believe God has chosen to become leaders of our country and states don’t understand. And they don’t understand this because they have not been paying attention to Scriptures. The Scriptures show us that the fact that someone has been ordained by God for a leadership position does not mean that he will do well or be a blessing to his people. He may just turn out to be a curse to them and a disappointment to God.

For instance, we are told in the bible that it was God that chose and ordained Saul, son of Kish, as the first king of Israel. But did he turn out right? No, he did not. So, at some point, God got tired of him. Look at what is said in the bible about that: “Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.” (1Sam 15:10-11NIV) Did you see that? Even though it was God Himself that chose and ordained Saul as king, He later regretted choosing him.

Now people often say that God never regrets doing anything. But that is their own thought, and it is contrary to Scriptures. From what we see in Scriptures, there were times God regretted doing certain things. And He did not lie to Himself at such times. Instead, He faced the reality and dealt with the things that brought Him regret. So, if you too are having a feeling of regret or disappointment about certain decisions you made in the past, decisions that appeared to be good at the time you were making them but which have now turned bad, don’t be too hard on yourself. Instead, face the reality and do the needful.

God had to face the reality in Saul case and do the needful. He had to anoint someone else in his stead, even while he was still on the throne. But was He happy about the fact that He had to do that? No! What about Prophet Samuel who represented God in handling Saul’s ordination? Was he happy with the fact that the man lost his way and could not be brought to repentance? No! On the contrary, we are told in the bible that he kept on mourning for him until God stopped him from doing so and told him to go and anoint someone else in his stead. (Cf. 1Sam 15:35 & 16:1)

What is my point? It is that even if you are voting for God’s anointed leaders in these coming elections, you cannot guarantee that they will not fail you, for they may fail both God and you. And if God’s choice can fail us, can we confidently say that our own choices won’t fail us? We can’t. And if they should fail us, what are we going to do? Are we going to continue to mourn like Samuel until the next elections, that is, for the next four years?

Now my prayer is that none of those who will become leaders during these elections will end up making us mourn in this country. But we must be careful not to put our trust in any of them but in God. That way, even if they fail us, we will be able to count on God to turn their failure around for our good.

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)