Month: April 2024

Take advantage of their presence | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: May 01, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 51

fire in my bones

“The men of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.” “Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.'” And the water has remained wholesome to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.” (2Kings 2:19-22NIV)

What city is being referred to in this text? It is Jericho. Yes, it is the same city of Jericho that Joshua cursed when he was leading the children of Israel to possess their inheritance. (Cf. Joshua 6:26)

Now what was the testimony that the men of the city gave to Elisha, the man of God, who was just staying there for a while? It was that even though the city was well situated, the water was bad and the land was unproductive. Why was that so? Though we are not given any specific reason in the account, it is evident from what we have in the bible that it was the curse of Joshua that put that city in that terrible condition.

Yes, Joshua’ curse was meant to rest only on anyone who would attempt to rebuild Jericho. But is it possible for a man to be cursed and for the works of his hands and the people in his life not to partake in the curse on his life, to one degree or the other? It is impossible.

So, when Hiel decided to rebuild Jericho during the time of King Ahab, the curse of Joshua not only rested on his life and family but also on what he was rebuilding. So, he lost two of his sons, according to the statement of the curse, and also brought barrenness and bitterness on the city he had rebuilt. (Cf. 1Kings 16:34)

In any case, when Elisha the man of God came to Jericho, after he had just been endued with God’s anointing to be the lead prophet in Israel, the men of the city were smart enough to take advantage of his brief stay. How? They drew his attention to the true need of the city. And was that? A town hall? No! A museum? No! A gigantic synagogue for religious meetings? No!

What, then, was the true need of the city? Healing! The land needed spiritual healing above all else. And the men of the place were wise enough to know that if the city was spiritually healed, every other good thing that was supposed to be happening there would start happening. So, they would not allow Elisha’s stay in the land, though it was brief, to amount to nothing for them. That was why they unitedly approached him for help. And he helped them by ridding the land of the curse of barrenness and death that was at work in it.

Centuries later, another man in that same city would do something similar. He would take advantage of the passing of another anointed man of God through the city. The man’s name was Zachaeus. And the man of God that was passing through Jericho during his time was Jesus. (Cf. Luke 19)

Now, of course, it wasn’t the healing of Jericho that Zachaeus wanted at the time; rather, it was the healing of his own soul. Yes, he was wealthy. But he was also a man that was lost in sin and wickedness and seriously wanted salvation. So, when he learnt that Jesus, the Saviour, was passing through his city, Jericho, he was not going to miss the moment. No, he did not know how to approach Jesus. He was even too short and small to be able to push his way through the crowd to personally see or meet Jesus. But he knew that he could climb a tree and get a good view of this man of righteousness. And that was exactly what he did.

Interestingly, God, who sees every heart, took note of Zachaeus’ zeal and seriousness in receiving salvation. So, He made Jesus stop right under the Sycamore tree that the man had climbed in order to call him down and to have a feast of salvation at his home. Hallelujah!

What is the point of all this, then? It is that we must be smart and sensitive enough to know when and how to take advantage of the presence of any person of power or importance that God sends our way. See, the coming of certain people into our lives may only take a moment and never happen again. But if we recognise the roles God wants them to play in our lives during that moment and humbly request that they play them, the effect may be something that we and generations after us will enjoy forever.

So, among the prayers you should be offering is that God will always enable you to recognise those people that you need to take immediate advantage of their appearance in your life for your elevation, healing or salvation and also teach you how to wisely and humbly relate to them. Otherwise, when such people come your way, you may not give them the right kind of attention or you may not make the right demands on them. My prayer is that you will never again miss your opportunity for elevation, healing or deliverance, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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

Don’t keep it away from them | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 28, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 52

Pastor J.O. Lawal

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to the transition week between the months of April and May 2024. My prayer is that, as we begin the week, God will rid you of all forms of selfishness that are hindering Him from finding you useful in communicating His goodness to those in your world. Amen.

I offer that prayer for you because one of the reasons God is unable to use many of His people, who are daily enjoying His goodness, to reach others around then with His grace is that they are selfish. When people are selfish, they will easily forget that the grace of God that they are enjoying is beyond what one person can consume. In fact, the grace of God is beyond what the whole world can consume. His grace is immeasurable.

So, talking to those around us about God’s grace and goodness will not limit our own enjoyment of it. Rather, it will open the door for us to enjoy more and more of it. But many of us often get carried away in our enjoyment of His grace and goodness that we forget that there are many around us that also need the experience of His grace and goodness, so that they can be set free from the things seeking to destroy them and begin to live lives that make sense. And if we don’t wake up on time and begin to do what is right, things may get worse for them and we too may end up losing our relevance in the world in which God wants us to function as light and salt.

Now we have a very good example in the bible of how God wants us to treat our enjoyment of His grace and goodness. This is in 2Kings 6 and 7. As the account goes, there had been a very severe famine in the city of Samaria that drove some people to start eating their own children. And it was when the king learnt about this that he remembered that Elisha, the man of God, was in the land and that his presence should have made a difference.

In any case, Elisha prophesied that there would be a sudden miracle of abundance in the land that would make all of them forget all their pains before the end of the following day. And it happened just as he had said it would. How? Well, God frightened their enemies that were responsible for the famine with the sound of a great and invisible army. So, they ran away and abandoned everything they had brought with them to lay siege to the city.

But nobody in the city knew what had happened except certain four lepers that took the risk of their lives to go the camp of the enemies to look for food that same night. They were the first to suddenly come upon abundant free food, clothes, silver, gold and other precious things, which the enemies had left behind when they were running away for their lives. So, they settled down that night to take for themselves as many good things as they could. And that same night, even though they were lepers, they became rich.

However, while they were jumping around from one tent of the enemies to the other and carrying whatever they wanted, it dawned on them that they were being selfish. Yes, it dawned on them that the good things that were available in the camp of the enemies were too much for only the four of them to consume – they were things that everyone in the land ought to share and enjoy. So, they said these words to one another: “We’re not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.” (2Kings 7:9NIV)

Now, of course, when they reported what had happened to the king, the whole city came out to carry all kinds of good things for themselves. And everyone suddenly forgot all the pains they experienced during the famine, according to the word of the man of God. But what if those lepers had not woken up on time to do what was right? Then God would have led someone else there who would report what had happened to the king. And what do you think he would have done to them for being selfish? He would most likely have ordered their execution.

Well, the point I am making is that we should not keep the good news of the grace of God that we are enjoying away from those around us. Instead, we should do our best to share it with them. Otherwise, as I said before, we may just begin to limit our experience of His goodness and He too may have to raise some other people to do what we should have done. Then the praise and reward that should have been ours will go to them. So, begin to freely share the good news of what God’s goodness to you to those around you. And may you daily be strengthened by the Spirit of God to faithfully do so, in Jesus’ name. 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 Youth for Jesus

Freedom from self-inflicted pains | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 24, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 50

fire in my bones

“Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” (Mark 5:5NIV)

Who was crying out among the tombs and in the hills and cutting himself with stones? It was a mad man living in a region called Gadarenes in bible days. And why was he doing these things to himself? Why was he destroying himself and his body in this manner?

Well, as the account goes, this mad man was inflicting himself with pains in this manner because he was possessed by a number of demons. And no one in that place really knew what he was dealing with until Jesus came to the place and confronted the evil spirits in his life. But as Jesus began to deal with them, it became clear that he was possessed by several of them. Actually, their chief said that their name was ‘Legion’.

Now a legion in the Roman army was a division of about 3000 to 6000 soldiers. That means the demons that occupied this man’s life were nothing less than 3000, judging by human calculation. What made that happen? No one could really tell. But our Lord Jesus shows us through His teachings that demons have a culture of inviting more and more of themselves into people’s lives once there is room in there for them (Matt 12:43-45).

So, all you need is to give just one demon a place in your life. And before you know what is happening, you may end up having 3000 of them in your life, as in the case of this man. The demons in his life came in one after the other until they were numbering over 3000. And while they themselves were invisible to the human eyes, the things they were doing to him and through him were not invisible at all to the people around. Everyone could see how utterly lonely and miserable they made his life, as they tormented him day and night. He could not think well. He could not dress well. He could not eat or live well. He could not dream of any nice or great future. All that his mind could handle was to cry and hurt himself. And if hurting himself was nothing to him, would hurting other people mean anything to him? Not at all! No wonder he became a terror to everyone in that region.

But when Jesus met him, all that became history. He was delivered from his self-inflicted pains. The Lord drove out all the demons in his life, whatever their number was, with just one word ‘Go’. And he became so free and sane that those who knew him before could hardly recognise him again. Then to show how wicked those evil spirits hurting him were, when they entered a large herd of pigs that was feeding near the place, all of them, about two thousand in number, rushed into the Lake there and drowned. Frightening, right? (Cf. Mark 5:6-17)

Well, what is the point of this? First, it is that there are such things as demonic possession and oppression. And among the manifestations of these are self-inflicted pains. In other words, apart from the fact that those who are possessed and being oppressed of the devil will think of hurting others as nothing, they will also not see hurting themselves and ruining their own lives as nothing.

Think of the way people mess their own lives up in prostitution, money rituals, consumption of hard drugs, homosexuality, lesbianism and so forth and still act as though everything was fine. Also, think of how people freely destroy their homes through adultery, drunkenness and different forms of violent and abusive activities and still move on as though everything was fine. Yet, while everyone is looking at them as fine and on top of the world, you will hear that they have committed suicide or run mad.

Sadly, some people will say such things are merely psychological problems. But the word of God shows us that they are not. Instead, for the most part, they are results of demonic manifestations in people’s lives. And unless such people come in contact with God’s great and saving power, they will not be free until they have completely destroyed themselves.

That, of course, is the second thing we learn from the story of that mad man. If the Lord had not found him and saved him, he would have been completely destroyed by those merciless demons in his life. But thankfully, the Lord found him and saved him, even though he did not know Him and was not even in the right state of mind to look for Him.

Now if you are reading this and are being tormented in any way by demons, then, your case is better than that man’s. That is because your own mind is still sound enough to be able to read. So, your case is not hopeless at all. Jesus is able to set you too free so that your life can be meaningful again. All you need to do, then, is to say, “Lord Jesus, save me by your divine power from these demons that are oppressing and afflicting my life and making me to hurt myself and all the people that come close to me.” And you will experience His salvation right away, for His power will come upon you where you are.

Then perhaps you have someone close to you whose pains and sorrow are self-inflicted and you are concerned about their salvation and freedom. Just begin to rebuke the demons in the person’s life in the name of Jesus, asking them, however many they may be, to leave them alone and never return again. And they will surely leave, for they cannot say ‘No’ to Jesus. Then the person’s life will become normal and peaceful again.

Cheers!

FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 Pastor's Desk

Be excited about His good works | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 21, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 51

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great delight that I welcome you to another week of the month of April 2024. And my prayer is that your heart will be daily strengthened to duly recognize what God is doing in your life and around you and give Him praise for it, so that you can witness more and more of His power and goodness. Amen.

One of the things we all as God’s people must learn is celebrating Him for His good works. The bible says, “Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.” (Ps 107:21-22NIV) Did you see that? Our giving of thanks to God must not just be for what He is doing or has done in our personal lives; rather, it must also be for what we can see Him doing in the lives of all the people around us.

Therefore, it is important that we show interest in what God is doing the lives of others around us as well and not only in what He is doing in our lives. In fact, from what that Psalmist says, we can see that it is not only testimonies of what God is doing in our lives that He wants us to be sharing; He also wants us to be sharing testimonies of what He is doing in the lives of others around us.

Why is this important? First, it is so that many who do not believe in God can have reasons to believe in Him. Second, it is so that those whose faith in God has been weakened by their challenges may have it strengthened when they hear testimonies of what He is doing for others. And where people’s faith in God is being built up and strengthened in this manner, He will be able to move more freely among them to do greater things.

Unfortunately, many of us in the church today will not even thank God for what He is doing in our lives, not to talk of share testimonies of it with others. And when we hear testimonies of what God is doing for others in our church meetings, we are hardly excited. So, instead of celebrating God in their lives and rejoicing with shouts and songs of praise, we may just sit down and act as if we did not hear a thing. It is no wonder, then, that we don’t witness much manifestations of the Spirit and power of God in most of our church meetings.

See, even if someone’s testimony is that God has healed them of a headache, be excited about it and rejoice in the Lord with them. Don’t say, “What kind of testimony is this? The healing of a common headache! Is that what we are here to listen to?” Otherwise, you will be weakening your own faith and also filling the spiritual atmosphere of your church meeting place with unbelief and ingratitude. And if there should be plenty of people like you in that meeting, you will surely limit or totally stop the flow of the power of God there.

For example, when Jesus went to His hometown, He could not do many mighty miracles there. He only healed a few sick people. Why? The people there did not celebrate Him or the works God had been doing through Him! Yes, before He came to them, they had heard all kinds of testimonies of His good works. And instead for them to be excited and glorify God for what they had heard, as others were doing in other places where He had ministered, they were simply abusing and criticising Him. So, they filled the spiritual atmosphere of their town with unbelief and ingratitude and limited the flow of the power of God among them. (Cf. Mark 6:1-6)

Also, when Jesus went to the home of Jairus to raise his dead daughter, He had to first put out all the people there who were filling the spiritual atmosphere of the man’s home with unbelief, so that they will not hinder the miracle God was about to perform. And what He did worked. But do we also have to start driving out from our church meetings those who are not excited to praise God for His good works among us? Imagine how that would sound! (Cf. Mark 5:35-43)

Well, the point I am making is that if we want to witness greater and more glorious manifestations of God’s power, love and goodness in our lives and in our meetings, we must learn to be excited about whatever good thing He does for us, even if it is the healing of a common headache. That is because many have died in the past because of common headaches. And if God heals someone among us of it, we should celebrate Him for saving the person from death. This is how to clear the way for Him to always freely move in our midst and do great and mighty things.

Have a pleasant 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

When you decide to break free | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 17, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 49

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date April 17, 2024
1 Comment on When you decide to break free | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 17, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 49

fire in my bones

“You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from your neck.”” (Gen 27:40NLT)

Those were Isaac’s words to Esau, when he was earnestly seeking to be blessed by him. As the story goes, it was actually Esau that Isaac had wanted to give the Abrahamic blessing to. And he wanted to give it to him because of he was his firstborn and also because he loved very much, more than his brother Jacob.

But Rebekah, the mother of both of these young men, wanted the blessing for Jacob and not Esau. And that was also because she loved him very much, more than his brother Esau. So, she stepped into the situation, taught Jacob what to do to steal that blessing and also gave him all the support he needed to succeed in doing so. (Cf. Gen 27:1-29)

Now did Jacob succeed in taking his brother’s blessing or not? He did. In fact, he was so successful in doing so that when Esau came back and began to plead with their father to give him a blessing too, even if it was a left-over blessing, his response was, “I have made Jacob your master and have declared that all his brothers will be his servants. I have guaranteed him an abundance of grain and wine—what is left for me to give you, my son?” (Gen 27:37NLT)

Did you see that? How did Isaac make Jacob Esau’s master? By words of mouth! So, words are powerful. Through words we can make slaves of men. Through words we can also make masters of men. Therefore, we, especially those of us in position of authority over others, must be careful how we use our words. Otherwise, even on the basis of deceit, we can elevate people to great positions in life or bring them down to the lowest of positions in life.

Through words, Isaac put the entire generation of Esau under Jacob. And even though he was deceived to do so, it did not change the fact regardless of how hard Esau and his descendants worked, how high they rose in life or how wealthy they became, they would always behind and under Jacob. What a sad story!

Unfortunately, there are many all around the world that are operating under circumstances similar to Esau’s today. They too have been perpetually placed under the control of some people or made inferior to some people in life, just because certain individuals that they may not even know at all spoke some words of power years or centuries ago. So, it does not matter how hard they labour or try to excel in life, they will never rise above those placed over them. Then, if those placed over them will not do well in life, for one reason or another, they too will not be able to do well in life under natural circumstances.

You can now see why the people in a certain place may never rise above certain individuals there, regardless of how hardworking, wealthy, influential or educated they may be. You can also see why the people in some households or families may never rise above certain family members under normal or natural circumstances, regardless of how hardworking, wealthy, influential or educated they may be. They have been placed under some limitations in the realm of the spirit. And unless those limitations are removed or destroyed, things will never change.

How, then, can such people be set free to be all that God wants them to be and do all that He wants them to do in life? The very first step towards their freedom is recognizing that they are operating under some powerful spiritual limitations. If they do not recognize this, they will not see any need to escape from such limitations. How, then, can anyone know if they are operating under a spiritual limitation, if nobody shares any story along that line with them? It is by divine revelation. So, if you want to know why you are being limited in life, if you sense that you are being limited, ask for divine revelations.

The second step towards breaking free from any spiritual limitation you may be operating under is deciding to break free. As we see in our opening text, even though Isaac had put Esau under Jacob by the word of his of mouth, he still told him that whenever he decided that he had had enough, he himself would break free from his brother’s control. And these words came to pass during the reign of King Jehoram of Judah. (Cf. 2Chro 21:8-10)

In like manner, whenever you decide to break free from whatever spiritual limitations you may be operating under, whenever you decide that enough is enough, you will begin to take steps towards breaking free. And will that automatically make you break free? No! That also depends on the kinds of steps you are taking.

If the steps you are taking are in the natural realm or in the realm of sorcery or divination, you will only make matters worse for yourself. It is only a matter of time. But if the steps you are taking are consistent with the will of God, then, you will indeed break yourself and perhaps others too free from all forms of family or communal limitations you may be operating under.

Now one of such steps that you should take is that of praying. You should begin to pray earnestly that God will destroy every limiting influence over your life, so that you can rise to be all He wants you to be. And He will answer you. Another step you should take is declaring the word of God concerning your life. His word says that you are no longer under the dominion of the devil but now in God’s kingdom (Col 1:13). His word always says that you were not redeemed by Him to be a slave of any man (1Cor 7:23). So, keep boldly saying that you refuse to operate under any satanic limitation, in the name of Jesus. And before you know it, your experiences of growth and advancement in life will begin to change and to conform with God’s purpose for your life.

Cheers!

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

FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 Pastor's Desk

Act on His word | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 14, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 50

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date April 13, 2024
3 Comments on Act on His word | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 14, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 50

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to another week of the month of April 2024 and pray that God will daily strengthen your heart to be a doer of His word and not just a hearer, so that all His good purpose can be fully accomplished in your life. Amen.

One of the reasons many of God’s people don’t experience the glory of God in their lives as they ought to is that they don’t devote themselves to acting on what He says. We may hear words from God about His provisions for us and how we are to take advantage of them to excel and live in health. We may also hear testimonies of those who took advantage of God’s grace to live healthy or outstanding lives in this world. But until we act on His word ourselves, His good purpose for us will not be fully accomplished in our lives.

When God appointed Joshua to lead the children of Israel into the land of promise, He told him these words: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Josh 1:8-9NIV) What was Joshua to do to be prosperous and successful in leading the children of Israel into the promised land? He was to give himself to the word of God.

But in what way was Joshua to give himself to the word of God? He was to meditate on it day and night. That means he was to ponder on everything said in the word of God, so that he would see how it is applicable to his life and the various situations he may find himself. Why was he to do this? It was so that he may be careful to act on it.

So, if we are going to act on what God is saying to us, we must daily give ourselves to thinking about it. When we think about something long enough, we will not know when it will begin to affect the words of our mouth, our conduct and even our dreams. For instance, if we are always having love thoughts about someone, we will not know when we will begin to unconsciously say the person’s name and plan our daily activities around doing something for the person or making the person happy.

Also, if we are always thinking about a matter that makes us afraid, it will not be long before the fear of that matter begins to control our words and actions. In other words, we will unconsciously begin to speak words of fear and make plans based on our fear. In fact, we will begin to have dreams of fear, not because we want to have them but because our thoughts are full of fear.

In the same vein, if we ponder long enough on all that God is saying to us through His word, after a while, we will find ourselves unconsciously acting on the basis of His word and having dreams and desires that are inspired by His word. And that is exactly why God tells us to meditate on His word day and night. He knows that there is no way we will not act on it, if we do so. And once we begin to act on His word in that manner, we can only prosper and succeed in life.

Now, of course, our prosperity and success may not become obvious overnight. Joshua’s prosperity and success did not become obvious overnight. He had to keep meditating on God’s word and also acting on it for some time before he began to move from success to success. And he had to meditate on His word throughout the remaining part of his life for his success and prosperity to become permanent.

So, if we too want obvious and permanent success and prosperity, if we want to witness the fullness of the glory of God in our lives, we must devote ourselves to meditating on the word of God and acting on it for the remaining days of our earthly lives. Yes, we must daily meditate on everything that He is saying to us about righteous living, giving, Christian service and resisting the devil, so that we may act on it. And as we daily give ourselves to doing so, the stagnation, barrenness, weakness and fear associated with our lives will disappear and prosperity, joy and peace will take their place.

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

He rewards seriousness | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 10, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 48

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date April 10, 2024
1 Comment on He rewards seriousness | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 10, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 48

fire in my bones

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Heb 11:6NIV)

What does our opening bible text say about those who come to God? First, it says that anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists. That is where to start from. If you are coming to God, you must agree that He exists, that He is a real person and not a myth. Otherwise, you may never receive anything special from Him or experience His power in any tangible way.

This, unfortunately, is what sceptics don’t understand. They think that when they come into a church meeting or any meeting of God’s people, God should prove Himself or His existence to them in some spectacular way, so that they may believe in Him. But there are already enough things in nature to prove the existence and power of God to mankind. And if anyone chooses to ignore what these things are saying about Him, He is not under any obligation to show His power to them in any special way. (Cf. Rom 1:20)

Now I do not mean that God cannot reveal Himself in some special way to a sceptic, to one who doubts His existence. He can. And there are times that He does just that. But when He chooses not to do so, there is nothing the unbelieving one can do about it. The person will just have to accept whatever knowledge of God that is available to them or continue to suffer and perish in their unbelief.

The second thing we are told about those who come to God in our opening text is that they must believe that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. So, it is not enough to believe in God’s existence; it is equally important to believe that He rewards those who are serious and intense in seeking Him.

This, then, shows me why many of us who claim to believe in God don’t receive much from Him. We do don’t show enough earnestness or seriousness in seeking His face for whatever we want. So, we don’t receive from Him as we should be receiving. As that bible text shows us, if we are earnest or serious in our desire to know God, He will not disappoint us but make Himself known to us. In like manner, if we are earnest, serious or intense in our desire to receive anything from God, He will not disappoint us but reward our seriousness.

For example, the bible shares with us the story of a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years and how she received her healing from Jesus. As the account goes, it was not Jesus that looked for this woman; rather, she was the one that looked for Him. She had heard about Him and how He was healing every manner of sickness and disease and of how the power of God used to be present with Him everywhere He went. And that made her believe that she too could be healed by Him. (Cf. Mark 5:25-29)

But this woman did not sit down where she was, hoping that Jesus would one day find her and heal her. If she had done that, she may never have been healed by the Lord. Instead, she told herself that she would look for Jesus and do all that she could to touch His clothes. Why would she want to touch His clothes? Well, she believed that if she could just touch His clothes, she would be healed. And that was exactly what happened. She was healed the moment she touched the clothes of Jesus.

Now was it easy for her to locate Jesus? No! Jesus was constantly on the move at the time – He had no permanent residence. And there were no local news agencies at the time that were announcing His itineraries. So, she had to first put her ears to the ground in order to know where the Lord would be. Then, even though she was in serious and constant pains, she also had to travel to wherever Jesus was going to be and look for Him.

Also, having located where Jesus was, she had to be ready to force her way to touch His clothes, seeing that there was no guarantee that He would be alone there. And that was probably the hardest part of what she had to do. Why? The reason was that her bleeding had made her ceremonially unclean. So she was not supposed to be appearing in public places, not to talk of shaking hands with people or touching them. Otherwise, she would make anyone she touched unclean and that could earn her a death penalty among a crowd. (Cf. Lev 15:19-27)

Nevertheless, this woman did all these things in order to touch Jesus’ clothes. Why? She was serious about receiving healing from Him. And because she was serious about her healing, even though there were all kinds of people touching Jesus that day, it was only her touch that drew the power for healing and deliverance out of Him. So, she was instantly healed of her malady and also received a word of wholeness from the Lord to seal her healing.

What is the point of all this? It is that God rewards seriousness. He rewards those who are serious in praying to Him. He rewards those who are serious in seeking to know His will. And He rewards those who are serious in receiving His provisions for them.

So, if you and I want to be constantly receiving from Him and witnessing His power and glory in our lives, we must not be cold, sluggish or uncertain about what we want in relating to Him. Instead, we must always be serious and intense in all our dealings with Him. That way, there is nothing that He has made available for us to receive and enjoy that our faith will not be able to claim.

Cheers!

FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 Pastor's Desk

Be eager for His manifestations | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 07, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 49

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to the second week of this month, the month of April 2024. I pray that God will fill your heart with great hunger and thirst for diverse manifestations of His Spirit in your life and in His church, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we see in Scriptures, one of the reasons God has poured out His Spirit on humanity is that He may manifest Himself among us through diverse gifts of this Spirit. Look at how the bible puts that:

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” (Acts 2:17-18NIV)

Who said that He would pour out His Spirit on all people? God! And has He done that? Yes, He has. He did that after the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ and on the Pentecost day that followed. Then what did God say would happen after pouring out His Spirit on all people? He said that men and women, boys and girls and old men and old women would begin to prophesy, see visions, have inspired dreams and witness other manifestations of the presence of His Spirit in their lives.

Therefore, all of us who believe in Christ Jesus and have received the outpouring of His Spirit into our lives can expect to have these experiences that God has spoken about. We can expect to prophesy, speak in tongues, see visions, have inspired dreams, heal the sick, work miracles and do other things that God has said in Scriptures that we would be doing once His Spirit comes into our lives. (Cf. 1Cor 12:4-12)

Unfortunately, what we see in the various churches of God all around the world is far from this. We are not witnessing much serious manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit in our midst, as God has said that we would. Why? One main reason is that we are not zealous to see what He has said come to pass in our midst and our lives.

It is true that there are false manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit. Yes, there are false prophecies, false speaking in tongues, false healing, false miracles and even false teachings. But the very fact that there is a fake of something shows that the original is somewhere around the corner. We will, then, be cheating ourselves to refuse to go for the original because of the fake.

In the same vein, the fact that there are false manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit shows us that there are genuine manifestations of His gifts. What we should do, then, is learn what the Scriptures say about how to differentiate genuine manifestations of His Spirit from fake ones, so that we can earnestly go for the genuine ones. Otherwise, we will continue to rob ourselves of the blessings that we are supposed to be experiencing in our midst and in our world through the workings of these beautiful gifts of the Spirit.

As we are shown in Scriptures, there was great joy in a Samaritan city where Philip had preached (Acts 8:5-8). Why? It was because there were diverse manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit through him, as he preached there. We too can expect our homes, communities, schools and workplaces to be filled with joy, when the Spirit of God begins to manifest Himself through us in diverse ways. And God has already said that this would happen. All we need is to earnestly thirst to experience what He has said in our lives and in our midst.

So, the bible says, “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.” (1Cor 14:1NIV) Did you see that? First, we are told to let love be what motivates us in all that we do in life. Then we are told to eagerly desire spiritual gifts. Have you ever eagerly looked forward to something in your life before, maybe someone’s help or an occasion that you want to attend? How did that eagerness make you feel? Most likely, it made you feel restless. It made you do all you needed to do to be ready for that thing.

In like manner, if we are eager for the manifestations of the Spirit of God in our lives and in our churches, we will be doing all that we need to do to see them happen. We will be meditating on what the word of God says about them. We will be praying for them to happen. And we will be taking steps of faith to see them happen. So, as we go this new week, let our eager desire for great manifestations of the Spirit of God in our lives and in the church of God be awakened. And great and unspeakable things of joy will begin to happen in our lives and all around us.

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

Making obvious progress | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 03, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 46

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date April 3, 2024
1 Comment on Making obvious progress | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 03, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 46

fire in my bones

“Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.” (1Tim 4:15NIV)

Those are Paul’s words of admonition to Timothy. And he says them to him to show him how to make obvious progress in life. You know that it is possible for someone to think they are making progress in life, when they are actually not making any serious progress at all. It is also possible for someone to think they are making progress in life, when those around them cannot see them making any progress. And if that is the case with us, then, we may not expect those around us to give us the kind of attention or respect that we deserve.

In any case, if we want those around us to give us the kind of attention and respect that we deserve, our progress in whatever we are doing in life must be obvious to them. And that is what Paul is saying to Timothy in our opening bible text. He is telling him that if he wants to be taken seriously and also given the kind of respect that he deserves as a preacher and leader of God’s people, then, his progress must be obvious to all the people around him.

In other words, those who know Timothy and those around him must see that he is daily getting better in the way he lives, talks, behaves and handles his ministry. They must see that he is not stagnant in his walk with God and in handing the work that He has given to him. So, this is not about what he is saying to people concerning his progress; rather, it is about what everyone can see in his life.

How, then, will that happen? Well, as Paul points out, Timothy will need to diligently give himself to biblical instructions and their application. Once he is consistent and persistent in doing that, he will naturally begin to make obvious progress, a kind that everyone around him can testify to.

In like manner, if you want to make obvious progress in your spiritual walk as a child of God and in your ministry, you too must diligently give yourself to biblical instructions and their application. There is no other way. There are no shortcuts. So, if you won’t be diligent and earnest in giving yourself to these things, you won’t make any tangible or obvious spiritual progress. And even if you fake your progress, something that a lot of people are doing today, a day is coming when it will become clear to everyone around you that you have been nothing but stagnant all along.

Mind you, the principle Paul shares here with Timothy is not applicable to making obvious spiritual progress alone; it is also applicable to making obvious progress in every area of life. In other words, if we want to make obvious progress in our business or in our academics, what we need is to diligently and wholeheartedly give ourselves to doing the right things, things that will result in progress. We cannot afford to be slothful or lazy. We cannot afford to be taking half-measures. Otherwise, even if we make any progress, it won’t earn us the attention or respect of serious-minded people.

Remember that Solomon says, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” (Prov 22:29KJV) And he says this because, as a very wise man, he has learnt from experience that anything we diligently, carefully and attentively give ourselves to handling can only produce results that will sooner or later get people’s attention and respect. So, if we want to get out of the rot of stagnation in our business, trade or academics, we must begin to apply diligence in handling it.

Now, of course, unless God makes us progress in our life, no measure of diligence will achieve obvious progress for us. So, don’t rely on your diligence for obvious progress in your spiritual walk or in other matters of life. Instead, rely solely on God. And He will honour your diligence and every other step of faith that you take towards accomplishing excellence in life.

Cheers!