Month: February 2024

It will be on record | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: February 28, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus |Number: Vol. 6, No. 42

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date February 28, 2024
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fire in my bones

“Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.” (Luke 23:50-54NIV)

You may have heard this before: “If you cannot beat them, join them.” In order words, if you cannot convince a group of people to see things or do things as you deem fit, you should forget about your own principles and join them. Why should be in the minority? Why should you stand all alone?

But nothing is with being in the minority, if the minority is right. Nothing is wrong with standing all alone, if you are convinced that you are standing for the right thing. And how will you know whether what you are standing for is right or wrong? It is by considering what God says about it. God is always the ultimate judge of what is right and what is wrong. So, if He says something is right, then, it is right, even if the whole world says it is wrong. And if He says something is wrong, then, it is wrong, regardless of what everyone else says about it.

Therefore, once you know what God has said about a matter, take your stand on it, even if it is going to make you unpopular. That is because God will never honour the majority just because it is the majority. He will only honour the majority because it is standing for what is right.

Now that, of course, does not mean that God will stop the majority from carrying out their desires. For instance, as we see in our opening text, it was the wish of the majority that prevailed when the religious leaders of the Jews sat in judgment over our Lord Jesus and not that of the minority. And did God stop the majority from carrying out their wish, even though it would result in the death of any innocent man? No! Instead, He allowed them to have their way in order to fulfil His divine purpose of salvation for humanity.

So, don’t think that God will surely stop the majority from doing what is wrong, simply because what they want to do is wrong. He may not stop them. However, He will surely take note of those who separate themselves from the majority that are bent on doing evil. And when the time of reckoning comes, it is such people who will not follow a crowd to do evil that will be praised and honoured by Him and not the hell-bent crowd.

As we again see in our opening bible text, it was not every one of the religious leaders of the Jews that condemned Jesus to death. Some would not follow the majority to do what was wrong. And one of them was a man named Jospeh from Arimathea. He publicly stood against other council men when they wanted to kill Jesus and would not cast his vote in their support. Besides, after Jesus had died on the cross, to prove that this man was utterly against the majority in killing him, he boldly went to meet Pilate to ask for his body, so that he may give him a befitting burial.

Now it is clear that Joseph’s refusal to join with other Jewish councilmen in condemning and killing Jesus did stop them from taking His life. However, it will always be on record with God and with men that he did not take sides with evil men in destroying an innocent person. And that is what God wants from each of us. The outcome of our decision to stand for what is right is not what is important to Him; rather, it is the devotion of our heart to stand for it that is important to Him. And it is that devotion that He is going to reward here in this world and also in His eternal kingdom.

So, don’t be afraid to separate yourself from a crowd or a majority that is bent on doing what is wrong, simply because the outcome will not favour you. No, don’t be afraid to ‘waste your vote’, as some will say, on what is right, as long as you are convinced it is what is right. Yes, of course, you may not have men’s praise or reward for doing that. But it will be on record with God and with men that when everyone else was going in the wrong direction, you chose to go in the right direction. And when the time is ripe, God will reward you for doing so.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2024, 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)

FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 Pastor's Desk

May He not replace you | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: February 25, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 43

Beloved: grace and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I welcome you to the last week of the month of February 2024. My prayer is that God will keep you and all that is yours safe and sound all through it and also keep you from doing anything that will make you lose the place He has chosen for you to another, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we see in the bible, King Saul, the first king of the nation of Israel, was not the choice of the people or the choice of the man of God that was leading the country at the time, Samuel. Rather, he was God’s choice. It was God Himself that personally sought him out and chose him to be king over His people. Yet, at some point, God rejected him as king and looked for a replacement for him. (Cf. 1Sam 9-16)

What is that telling us? It is that the fact that God has chosen someone for a position or task does not mean that He cannot reject the person and then replace them with someone else. He can. That, however, does not mean that God will reject the person as one of His own people. If we do not reject God as our God, He also will not reject us as His people. But He can reject us as unfit or unsuitable for a position or task He once chose us for.

For instance, even though God rejected Saul as king and also replaced him someone else, He did not reject him as one of His own people. But when Saul rejected him as God and turned to a witch for help, God too rejected him as one of His own people. So, regardless of what problems we may be faced with in life, even if they are problems we have brought on ourselves, we should never reject God or turn away from Him. Otherwise, He too will have not choice but to disown us. (Cf. 1Samuel 28; 2Tim 2:12)

But then, why was Saul rejected and replaced? Look at what the following Scriptures say about that:

“”You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.”” (1Sam 13:13-14NIV)

“But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!”” (1Sam 15:26NIV)

Did you see that the problem with Saul was that of not taking God’s word seriously? But it was God that made him king; he did not make himself king. Not only that, God, who chose him to be king, also wanted to establish his kingdom for all time. But because, at some point, he began to think that he was wiser than God and could revise God’s command at will and also despise His prophet, God changed His mind about him, rejected him and chose a boy to replace him.

So, if you have cultivated the attitude of choosing your own understanding above God’s instructions for your life, you are in danger of being rejected and replaced by God for certain great positions or good works in this life, even though you have been originally chosen for them. Of course, you may have your reasons for wanting your own will to prevail over God’s will or for having no serious respect for the leaders He has appointed over you. But when all has been said and done, you will see that those reasons are nothing but flimsy excuses that God can never accept.

Saul also had his reasons for despising God’s word and His prophet. The desperation to keep his throne was one. The fear of his soldiers was another. Nevertheless, God rejected and replaced him. And there was nothing else he did to secure the throne for his descendants that worked. There is nothing we too can do to secure for ourselves a position or task God has taken away from us. So, we should watch ourselves and not allow unbelief, stubbornness, fear, desperation, greed, lust, bitterness, pride, jealousy or anything else for Him to reject and replace us. My prayer is that we will always be filled with adequate wisdom and strength to be mindful of this, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2024, 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)

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Make sure they can’t reach you | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: February 21, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 41

fire in my bones

“So he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And when they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it and rode after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” “I am,” he replied.” (1Kings 13:13-14NIV)

The bible text above gives us a little part of the sad story of a man of God that was deceived by an older man of God. As the account goes, the younger man of God had been sent by God on a particular day to prophesy against King Jeroboam and his altar of idolatry. And when he did, great signs accompanied his prophecy, great signs that baffled and, at the same time, impressed that unfaithful king. So, he decided to entertain and reward him. (Cf. 1Kings 13:1-6)

But was that what God wanted? Did He send His prophet to him so that he could entertain and reward him or so that he could repent of his wickedness? Evidently, He sent him to him so that he could turn him away from his wickedness.

In any case, because God had already known the heart of this wicked king, He instructed the prophet He was sending to him not to eat or drink anything in that land or to return by the way he came there. And he obeyed the voice of God. In fact, he told Jeroboam that even if he offered him half of his wealth, he would not take it. So, he left the place without eating or drinking and by another route. (Cf. 1Kings 13:7-10)

However, an older prophet in that city went after him, found him where he was probably resting and brought him back to his house to eat and to drink. How did he do that? How did he make a man than rejected the king’s wealth to accept just a round of meal from him? He lied to him. He told him an angel of God had appeared to him and had told him to bring him back home to refresh himself. But where was this older prophet when God was speaking to the young man? Did God not see him in Bethel before sending this young man from the land of Judah? (Cf. 1Kings 13:11-19)

Surely, God had seen him in Bethel before passing over him to someone else. Why? We are not told. But the fact that he lied to another man of God, one who only showed him respect as an older prophet, says it all. Unfortunately for that poor young prophet, it was still this same old lying prophet that God used in prophesying his immediate death. What a shame! (Cf. 1Kings 13:20-32)

Well, you can see that it is not a new thing for older believers to deliberately deceive or mislead younger and unsuspecting ones. So, even if someone introduces himself to you as an older and more experienced believer, if you do not know what he has been doing with his life, don’t make the mistake following him. And even if you know what people have been doing with their lives, inasmuch as whatever they tell you is not in line with the body of truth given to us in Scriptures, don’t accept or act on it. Follow people only to the degree they follow Christ. Otherwise, you may end up being devoured by the devil, as that young prophet was devoured by a roaring lion.

But here is a thoughtful question for us to consider: Why was that old prophet able to find and deceive the young prophet and bring about his untimely death? The reason was that the man was resting in the wrong place. He was supposed to be long gone before that old prophet would even hear anything about him, especially since he did not personally witness his ministration against King Jeroboam and his altar of idolatry. Why, then, did he choose to relax very close to a place where he had just been tempted with great wealth to disobey God?

Of course, God did not tell him not to relax in Bethel or anywhere close to it. He only told him not to eat or drink there and not to return by the same way he had come there. But common sense should have told him that the longer he stayed in that place or around there, the greater the possibility of his being tempted to sin against God. So, having completed his job, he should have wasted no time in removing himself completely away from the reach of Bethel and her sinful people. And it was because he did not do that but put himself within the reach of temptation that he was found and destroyed by it.

In like manner, God may not have said that you should not live or make friends with certain people. But if the chances are high that your being near them or with them will put you in trouble, make sure they can’t reach you, not to talk of affect or influence you. Yes, be completely unavailable to them and whatever nonsense Satan may want to use them to drag you into. And may you continually be filled with adequate wisdom to know where is not a resting place for you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Tags alaythia bible church, christianity, Faith, Fire in my bones, wisdom

FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 Pastor's Desk

Delivered from all his fears | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: February 18, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 42

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I welcome you to another week of the month of February 2024 and pray that God will rid your heart of every thought of fear that is paralysing you and keeping you from taking the right steps to experience the prosperity that could be yours in life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

In the parable of the man that gave his servants money to work with, which our Lord shares with us, the reason the servant that did nothing with the money he was given did nothing with it was that he was afraid. For years, preachers have taught us that the reason he did nothing with the money given to him was that he considered it too small for him, compared to what others were given. But there is nothing in the account that says or suggests that. (Cf. Matt 25:14-30)

First, as we see in the account, what this servant’s master gave him was much, even though it was a talent. That is because, during that period, a talent was a lot of money. Second, his master gave him and his fellow servants money according to their individual ability (Matt 25:15). So, it was not because the money given to him was too small or was not as much as what others were given that he did nothing with it. According to him, he did nothing with it because he was afraid of losing it (Matt 25:24-25).

In any case, because this servant allowed the fear of losing the money he had been given to possess him, he became blind to every opportunity that he could have utilised in using the money and multiplying it. So, while his fellow servants were multiplying their own talents, he was busy with irrelevancies, things that his master would not ask him questions about. That, of course, was how he lost his talent to one of those that worked hard with their own talents and also lost his place before his master, instead of being promoted. (Cf. Matt 25:24-30)

What is this teaching us? It is that fear paralyses. Fear opens people’s eyes only to failure. And when all you can see is failure, there is every tendency that you will forget that you have God and that He can show you how to turn failure around to success. So, you will find yourself giving up and surrendering to defeat, death or poverty.

But you don’t have to surrender to defeat, death or poverty. None of us has to surrender to these things. Yes, we may be confronted with all kinds of fear because of the circumstances of our lives or of our country. We may be confronted with the fear of hunger, the fear of our children’s school fees, the fear of house rent that has not been paid, the fear of an illness that is troubling our body, the fear of some unpaid debts, the fear of a business or job that is failing in our hands, the fear of a coming examination or the fear of losing someone dear to us.

Whatever form the fear we are confronted with may take, what we need to do is to talk to God about it. And He will handle it for us. David, in one of his psalms, says, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” (Ps 34:4NIV) Did you see that? When David sought the Lord about everything bothering him and making his heart afraid, He delivered him from all his fears.

How did the Lord deliver this man from all his fears? We would not know, for he does not tell us in detail. But his testimony is that when he sought the Lord, he was delivered from all his fears. So, if you did not know before, know now that God is able to deliver you from whatever fear you have that is filling you with depression, making you sick or making you want to run away or commit suicide. All you need is to seek the Lord’s face about it. And He will deliver you from it, open your eyes to see His provisions for your experience of success and victory and also give you great testimonies to share.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2024, 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)

Tags alaythia bible church, christianity, counsel, From pastor's desk

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Saint Shechem was a rapist | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: February 14, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 40

fire in my bones

“Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and violated her.” (Gen 34:1-2NIV)

Why did Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, go out to visit the women of the land of Shechem? It must have been because doing so seemed harmless. But by the end of that same day, she was no longer the same. She had been defiled and raped; she had been treated like a common sex slave.

Now who raped Dinah? It was a young man called Shechem. And what does the bible say about this young man? It says that he was the most honoured of all the members of his father’s household (Gen 34:19). That means he was an exception among them. It means that he was better than all of them in character and in conduct. So, in the eyes of the people of their city, he was the saint in that family, Saint Shechem.

Nevertheless, Saint Shechem was a rapist. Saint Shechem was not a man that would exercise patience and follow due process in securing the hand of a woman in marriage before having anything to do with her. If he wanted to have a woman, then, he must have her, even if raping her was the only way. Yet he was the most honourable of all the members of his family. What kind of people, then, would other members of his family be? Murderers! Assassins! Kidnappers! Drunkards! Robbers! Thieves! Homosexuals! Lesbians! Swindlers!

Well then, if someone has these kinds of people in his life as his family members, will it not be foolish or naïve of us to think of him as a good and honourable person? It will be. Yes, he may appear smooth, sweet and honest in talking and in showing care. But unless we have known him for a while as someone that takes God seriously and have also watched him consistently demonstrate godly character for a reasonable period of time, it will be naïve of us to think he is harmless.

Dinah was naïve to have thought of Saint Shechem as harmless. Truly, he may have been a smooth and cool young man. But the fact that all the members of his household were wicked and godless people was enough to make her stay away from him until she knew who he truly was. Yes, everyone in town spoke highly of him and thought of him as an exception in his father’s household. But who were these people that were speaking highly of him? Pagans! Lawless people!

If the town’s people of Shechem had not been idolatrous and lawless, they would have arrested and judged him the moment he raped another man’s daughter. But what did they do when they learnt of what he had done? Nothing righteous! They were all probably laughing among themselves and wondering how enjoyable raping Dinah must have been for him.

So, while it was utterly wrong of Saint Shechem to rape Dinah, it was Dinah’s own naivety that made what he did possible. Truly, her brothers later intervened and made sure she got justice for the harm she had suffered. But how did that change anything. The harm had already been done and she had to live and die with the consequences. (Cf. Gen 34:5-31)

What is the point of all this? Don’t be naïve. Don’t be ignorantly trusting. Someone may look charming and outwardly alright by all standards. It does not mean they cannot hurt you terribly. And people may be praising someone as the exception among their peers or counterparts. It does not mean they cannot injure or corrupt you.

See, the quality of a testimony is directly related to the reputation of the one giving it. So, when someone is being praised or recommended to you, look beyond what is being said about the person to the character of the one saying it. That is what will tell you how seriously you should take their testimony. Otherwise, you may have your life ruined on the basis of a corrupt testimony.

Now understand that it does not take forever to ruin a life. A few seconds are enough to ruin it, especially on this valentine day. So, look out for yourself.

FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 Pastor's Desk

He will surely visit us with help | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: February 11, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 41

Pastor J.O. Lawal

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to another week of the month of February 2024. My prayer is that God will visit you and your family with times of refreshing wherever you are hurting, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we see in the bible, in the days that Judges ruled in Israel, there was a severe famine that made people start leaving the land for other places where they believed that they would be able to feed and live well. It was during this period that a man called Elimelech and his wife Naomi left the land with their two sons for Moab. Unfortunately, their relocation to Moab did not work well for them at all. That was because Elimelech and his two sons lost their lives there. Not only that, his sons died without leaving any children behind. So, the family was left with nothing but three poor widows. (Cf. Ruth 1)

Now there may have been others who relocated to Moab or some other places during the same period that did not have the kind of nasty experience that the family of Elimelech had. But one of the lessons of the story is that relocation to another place from our workplace, house, town or country is not always the right solution to famine or a period of hardship. If we change our job or location without divine revelations or guidance, we may end up regretting it.

Therefore, don’t be in a hurry to run out of this country in this time of famine, just because everyone you know is running out of it. That may not be God’s way of preserving you and causing you to prosper. For example, as we are also shown in the bible, there was a time that Isaac wanted to go down to Egypt because of the severe famine where he was. But God told him not to go but to stay where he was. Why? The reason was that even though there was a famine there, His provisions for him to prosper were there as well. All that Isaac needed, then, was for him to see those provisions and begin to utilize them. And when he saw them and began to utilize them, he became so wealthy that everyone around him became jealous of him. (Cf. Gen 26)

What is the point of that? It is that the fact that there is hardship in a place does not mean that God’s provisions for us to prosper are not there. So, before we consider changing our location because of the hardship where we are or because an opportunity to enjoy life better somewhere else shows up, we should first of all pray to God and hear from Him. Otherwise, we may find ourselves ignorantly running away from our place of prosperity to a land of emptiness.

Elimelech and his family left Israel for Moab because they thought the place would be a land of prosperity and rest for them. But they later found it to be a land of emptiness for them. So, even though they went there full, Naomi, who was the only one of them that survived, came back empty. May you not use up all your life, resources and devotion to pursue emptiness, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

In any case, while Naomi was still in Moab, not knowing what to do with her life and the lives of her two daughters-in-law, God visited the nation of Israel. The bible says, “When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.” (Ruth 1:6NIV) Did you see that? God eventually visited His people with help by providing food for them. And the visit was so great that someone like Naomi remembered home and set out to go back there.

So, regardless of how hard things may be for us in the country right now, God is still able to visit us with great help, the kind that will make all our people that have relocated to some other countries to start coming back home. And God will surely visit us with help because some of us are praying without ceasing for Him to do so. My prayer is that you will be where you are supposed to be when His help finally comes and times of refreshing are brought to us. Amen.

Have a great week.

Copyright © 2024, 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)

Fire in my Bones General Post Youth for Jesus

A motivation for jealousy | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: February 07, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 39

fire in my bones

A motivation for jealousy | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: February 07, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 39

“And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.” (1Sam 18:9NIV)

When did King Saul begin to keep a jealous eye on David? It was when all the armies of Israel returned to the land after David had killed Goliath. That means Saul was not always jealous or afraid of David. On the contrary, he once loved and cherished him.

First, he loved him as the anointed musician that used to comfort him with his music, especially when an evil spirit would come to torment him (1Sam 16:21-23). Second, he loved him as a vibrant upcoming Israelite warrior. Look at what the bible says about their relationship before jealousy tore them apart: “After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house.” (1Sam 18:1-2NIV)

Can you see that Saul was already seeing David as a son and member of his family after his exploit in killing Goliath? How, then, did jealousy come in and separate them? Well, as we are further shown in the bible, it came in through the indiscreet singing of the women of the land that came to welcome them home after David had killed Goliath.

Before that time, Saul had been their champion. He had been the warrior king that was handling all their enemies for them. But when David showed up and defeated Goliath the giant, the selective memory of the people would not allow them to remember all that Saul had done for them. So, they began to talk everywhere about David and what he had done. There may have even been some exaggerations here and there, just to make the story of his fight against Goliath sweeter in the ear.

Then, to make matters worse, they brought their high praise of David to Saul’s doorsteps. They sang the song they had composed in his praise in his ears. Therefore, he did not need any prophet to let him see that the people had already begun to replace him with David in their hearts. (Cf. 1Sam 17:6-7)

Now, if Saul had not stopped being a spirit-led man at the time, he would, most likely, not have taken the matter to heart. But the Spirit of God had already left him. And as if that were not enough, a special evil spirit had begun to torment him. So, the song of those women irritated him. Not only that, it made him afraid that he might someday lose his kingdom to David, even though he was not yet aware that he had been ordained by God as king in his stead.

Therefore, he began to keep a jealous eye on him. And that, of course, made life miserable for David for the rest of this man’s life. That was because all that he wanted was to get rid of him and prevent him from taking over his kingdom.

What is the main point of all this? It is that we should be careful of how we use praise, especially when dealing with men. Praise that is not wisely handled or well directed can become a motivation for jealousy. Yes, we need to praise those that have done things deserving of praise. But we should watch where we praise them and how we praise them.

Don’t praise anyone beyond what they are meant to be given credit for. Don’t be selective in praising anybody, especially when you are dealing with a team. And don’t misappropriate praise. In other words, don’t give the praise that is meant for God to man or the praise that is meant for A to B. You may just be stirring up jealousy in others for the person you are praising and creating problems that are larger than them for them. And if they are not shown mercy and protected by God, the way David was shown mercy and protected by Him from King Saul, they may not live long to enjoy the fruit of what earned them your praise.

Mind you, as I already briefly mentioned, a misappropriation of praise can stir up jealousy even in God. Why was the Herod that wanted to kill Peter struck down by an angel of God? Was it because he had killed James and had also attempted to kill Peter? No! Rather, it was because when certain people began to give him the praise that was due to God, he accepted it instead of returning it to God. (Cf. Acts 12:19-23)

So, don’t arouse God’s jealousy against anyone by giving the praise that is due to Him to them. Otherwise, they too may have their lives cut short by Him, as Herod’s life was cut short by Him. What joy, then, would that give you?

FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 Pastor's Desk

A cover-up for evil | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: February 04, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk| Number: Vol. 12, No. 40

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 February 2024. And I pray that God will cause His favour to multiply to you every moment of the month, so that you will never lack any good thing in it. Amen.

As we begin this new month, I want to admonish you with the words of Peter that say, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” (1Peter 2:16NIV) Who should live as free people? It is those of us who have been set free by the Lord Jesus Christ from our sins and from the power of the devil. Remember that the word of God says, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” And He has set us free. So, we are free indeed, free in reality. (Cf. John 8:36)

Now since we are already free people, Peter tells us to go on and begin to live as free people indeed. In other words, we should go on and live like those who are no longer under the dominion of sin, the devil and destructive human traditions. Yes, we should go on and live exciting and joyous lives.

However, as Peter further points us, we must not use our freedom in Christ Jesus as a cover-up for any kind of evil. Why does he say this? He says it because it is possible for us to use our freedom in Christ Jesus as a cover-up for all kinds of atrocities.

How, then, is this possible? Well, it is possible in this manner: if we live as true believers in Christ Jesus long enough, those around us will begin to believe that we have indeed been saved from our sins, from the power of the devil and also from the wrong influences of human traditions. And where this is the case, people will start to trust us and to think of us as incapable of participating in any kind of wickedness. That, of course, is when we can fool them and use the trust they already have in us as a cover-up for evil.

Look at Judas Iscariot, for example. John tells us in his gospel that he was a thief. He used to steal Jesus’ money. How did John know that? Jesus must have personally told him, for other disciples did not know at the time. And how did Jesus know it? Did He catch him red-handed? No! If it had been so, it would have been reported in the bible. How, then, did He know that Judas was stealing from Him? It was by revelation. And did He say anything to him directly about it? No! Why? It was because he had listened to enough sermons to change his ways. (Cf. John 12:4-6)

Unfortunately, there are many today in the church that we may not know anything about the atrocities they too are committing, if God does not reveal it to us. Why? They have perfected the act of cover-up. They have learnt to wrongly take advantage of people’s trust in them as true children of God to steal, fornicate, swindle others, practise sorcery or get involved in different kinds of wicked activities.

That was how Judas operated. He started out, just as the other apostles, as a man of true faith in Christ Jesus. And because of his demonstration of faith and trustworthiness, Jesus made him His treasurer. But after a while, he started stealing from the Lord. Yet none of the other apostles suspected him. Why? They thought he was still the person he used to be. But he had changed and had become greedy and dangerous. He was only using the good reputation he had built among them to cover up what he was doing.

Now what does the bible say about those who act like that, those who cover up their sins? It says that they will not prosper. And that was exactly what happened to Judas Iscariot. He did not prosper. Instead, he perished without remedy. None of the other apostles could help or save him because they did not know what he was up to. He had successfully covered up everything with his past good reputation. (Cf. Prov 28:13)

Well, the point of all this is that we must be careful not to use our freedom in Christ Jesus as a cover-up for evil. We must not use the fact that people now trust us and see us as good Christians as a cover-up in lying to them, stealing from them, swindling them or setting traps of immorality for them. We will be hindering the outworking of the blessings of God in our lives, if we are functioning like that. And God may not say anything directly to us about it, if He believes we have heard enough of His word to change our ways. Also, He may not give anybody a revelation about us that will enable them to save us. And where that is the case, we may just perish suddenly and without remedy someday. May that not be your portion, in Jesus’ name. Amen. But stop using your freedom in Christ Jesus as a cover-up for evil.

Happy New Month!

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