Month: July 2024

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Miserable comforters| By: J.O. Lawal| Date: July 31, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 12

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all!” (Job 16:2NIV)

Those were Job’s words to his friends who had come to comfort him during the days of his pains and sorrow. But why would he speak like that to them? Well, as the account goes, because of certain conversations that God had with Satan about him, he ended up losing all his children and possessions and even his health. And when three of his friends heard about these happenings, they met by agreement and came to comfort him. (Cf. Job 1&2)

But was Job really comforted by their presence? Evidently, he was not comforted at all by their coming or presence. Otherwise, he would not have used such strong words that we have in our opening bible text in describing them. He referred to all of them as miserable comforters? Why? It was because their words did not bring him comfort at all but condemnation and grief.

You need to read the whole book of Job in order to appreciate the force of what Job said about these friends of his. These men did not offer him comfort at all through their words. Instead, they just falsely accused him and also condemned him. For instance, here is what one of them, Eliphaz, said to him:

“Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless? You demanded security from your brothers for no reason; you stripped men of their clothing, leaving them naked. You gave no water to the weary and you withheld food from the hungry, though you were a powerful man, owning land — an honored man, living on it. And you sent widows away empty-handed and broke the strength of the fatherless. That is why snares are all around you, why sudden peril terrifies you, why it is so dark you cannot see, and why a flood of water covers you.” (Job 22:5-11NIV)

Where did this man get all these things? Even God said that Job was a blameless and upright man, one who feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:8). Yet this man referred to him as a wicked person, an oppressor. Where did he learn that about Job? It is clear that he was either deliberately lying against him or reacting to some unfounded rumours that he had heard about him.

In any case, if Job’s own friends could say such things about him, what, then, would his enemies be saying about him? That would be beyond imagination. And you can now see why Job, as we see in our opening text, referred to all these friends of his as miserable comforters. On the one hand, they had nothing good to offer him or contribute to his faith and strength at the time. On the other hand, they were terribly hurting him with their words. So, it would have been better, if they had not shown up before him at all.

Interestingly, when God was set to restore Job, He first rebuked these friends of his severely. He told them that He was angry with them and would require them to offer some burnt offerings because of their errors and to also meet Job to pray for them. Otherwise, trouble would come upon them for the terrible job they had done as Job’s comforters. (Cf. Job 42:7-10)

Now what is the point of all this? It is that God is watching the way we treat those who are in trouble or in pains. Yes, they may have been the source of their own problems. But as long as we are a part of their lives or are privileged to be around them, we are not to add to their sorrow or pains. And we are also not to fold our arms and watch them suffer or get destroyed by their trouble. Instead, we are to offer them comfort, by words of mouth and by our actions, according to the measure of grace God has given to us.

The word of God says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2Cor 1:3-4NIV) Did you see that? One of the reasons God is comforting us in every area of our lives isn’t that we may add to the pains and torments of those around us that are suffering by sitting in judgment over them. Rather, it is that we may comfort them with the same comfort we ourselves have received from Him.

Then observe that we are told in this text that we can actually comfort those in any kind of trouble. In other words, even if the people we are dealing with are the source of their own problems, God is still able to use us to comfort them, heal them and set them in the right direction. But He cannot do these things through us, if are insensitivity and judgmental towards them and our words to them are full of criticism, lies or hate.

Therefore, let us rid ourselves of all forms of insensitivity, slander, hate and bitter and unclean criticisms, so that we can be true and not miserable comforters to the hurting people around us. Otherwise, as Job’s friends incurred the anger of God through the bad way they treated him in that low moment of his life, we too may invite His anger and punishment on ourselves for being bad towards those that need our comfort.

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)

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FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 Pastor's Desk

He will not forget you | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: July 28, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 13, No. 13

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ. Welcome to the transition week between the months of July and August 2024. My prayer for you is that God will wake up in the week everyone He has appointed to support you to begin to do for you all that He sent them to do. Amen.

As we see in the bible, the only one that is incapable of forgetting us or forgetting to fulfil His good purpose for our lives is God. Man, for various reasons, may forget us or forget their promises to us. But God will never forget us or forget to carry out His duty of perfecting all that concerns our lives. And look at what He says to us through Isaiah about this:

“”Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” (Isa 49:15NIV)

Did you see that? Even though a mother may sometimes get carried away by all the things she has to do and forget to do certain things for her baby on time, God will never forget to do what is right for us at the right time. And because He will never forget us, we must never give up on life because things are not yet as smooth for us as we will want them to be. Instead, we must continually pray to Him that He will perfect all that concerns and also strengthen our hearts to walk with Him with patience, so that we will not mess up His work in our lives.

Also, we must learn to pray that God will clear the way for all the people that He has appointed to do for us things that will result in the fulfilment of His good purpose for our lives to do His will in our lives. This is because it is not everything that God wants to do for us that He will do personally. There are things that He will do for us through people. And if such people should get distracted or carried away by the things of this life, they may not remember to do what God has sent them to do for us on time or at all.

For instance, it was God that appointed that official of Pharaoh that Joseph met in the prison to help him come out of the prison and to also work for his elevation in Egypt. The man at the time, of course, did not know that it was God that had brought the two of them together or how God intended to use him to help Joseph. But he was surely determined to help him, if things turned out favourably for him. This is showing us that for some people to help us as God will want them to, things must be going on smoothly for them. Otherwise, they may be too distracted or discouraged to think about us at all. (Cf. Gen 40)

Well, things did turn out favourably for that man, as Joseph had already predicted. He got out of prison and was restored to his former high position in Egypt. Nevertheless, for reasons unspoken of in the account, he totally forgot Joseph. In fact, he forgot him for two full years.

Now did Joseph lose his mind because of that? No! Did he give up on God and on life because of that, thinking all hope of his freedom was lost? No! Instead, he continued to do what was right in the prison and to be patient with God. So, at the right time, God, who never forgets His own people, brought about circumstances that cleared the way for that man to remember him and to do the needful in bringing him out of prison. That, of course, was how all the dreams of greatness God had given to him as a boy began to be fulfilled. (Cf. Gen 41)

In like manner, God will not forget you. So, you can trust Him to fulfill all the dreams of greatness He has shown you and all His beautiful plans for your life. You, like Joseph, just need to be patient with Him and to continue to do what is right in His sight. And among those right things you must be doing is praying to Him that He will clear the way for all the people He wants to use for you to do you all the good they are meant to do you without delay. May the Spirit of God, then, strengthen you to keep these things in mind and daily act accordingly, 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)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Use it to prove yourself | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: July 24, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 11

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.” (Gen 39:1-5NIV)

One of the things we must keep in mind is that we are not in charge of life – God is. And because we are not in charge of life, we cannot make certain things in life go the way we want them to go. But if we will learn to see God in whatever situation we may find ourselves and also learn to make the most of that situation, God will surely use the situation to bring about the fulfilment of His good purpose for our lives.

Now that is one of the things we learn from the bible story of Joseph. He was sold to Egypt as a young man. He was sold by his own brothers because they were jealous of him. But did he allow that to destroy him? No! Did he see that as the death of all the dreams of greatness God had shown him? No!

What, then, did he do? He sought to use his position as a slave to learn and make himself fit for greatness in life. In other words, he looked beyond his low status in life as slave to what he could use that position to learn and accomplish in life. Therefore, as we see in our opening text, it was not very long at all before he distinguished himself to his master as someone more than a slave, as someone that was absolutely reliable and a great manager of people and resources.

Now because Joseph distinguished himself in this manner, his master, Potiphar, put him in charge of everything he owned. Thin about that. The man entrusted him with everything he owned, home and abroad, even though he was only slave, even though he did not know his family background and even though he had received no recommendation letter from anyone about him. Why? The young man used his low position to prove himself as someone more than a slave.

We too need to learn to prove ourselves to be worthy of people’s trust and of great positions in life wherever we are. People, if they are not stupid, racial or selfish, will not just put us in great positions in life because we desire them or because we have dreamt about them. Rather, they will put us in positions of greatness in life because we have proved ourselves worthy of them.

How do we prove ourselves worthy of great positions in life? It is by handling whatever our hands find to do where we are in great and excellent ways. In other words, even if what is entrusted to us where we ae is something little or insignificant, if we will give it the touch of greatness and significance, people will take note of it and of us. And that will inspire them to try us with bigger things.

But if we are handling whatever is committed into our hands loosely and without seriousness, we will just be proving ourselves to be loose and unserious. And no one, in their right senses, will ever see us as fit for any kind of greatness, even though we have been recommended to them by very important people in life.

For instance, how do people become head of cleaners in most of our companies or organisations? It is usually through the way they handle their jobs as ordinary cleaners. Yes, cleaning jobs workplace (and I am not referring to those who have set up cleaning businesses here) are among the most demeaning jobs you can give to anyone in today’s world. But if someone can rise to be the head cleaner in an organisation, that person will be proving that he can be a leader in handling something better, if circumstances of life permit him.

Well, the point of it all is that we must not allow ourselves to become useless in life because we are not yet occupying a great position. Instead, we are to use whatever position we are in life, however low it may seem, to learn and prove ourselves as deserving something better. Then God, who comforts the downcast and raises up beggars from the dust, will cause His favour to rest upon us and use that position as a stepping stone to take us from where we are to where He wants us to be in life.

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)

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FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 Pastor's Desk

Guard your steps | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: July 21, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 13, No. 12

from pastor's desk

Beloved: grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Redeemer. I am delighted to welcome you to the fourth week of the month of July 2024. I pray that God will daily teach your heart how to serve Him faithfully, so that all that you are doing in His kingdom and for His kingdom will not go to waste. Amen.

Now I want to draw your attention to a number of things that Solomon tells us in one of his books on how to make the most of our presence in church meetings. Look at it:

“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” (Eccl 5:1-2NIV)

What is the first thing Solomon tells us here about how to make the most of any church meeting? It is that we are to guard our steps when going for it. In other words, we must go for every church meeting with a sense of thoughtfulness and carefulness. Yes, we must know why we are attending this meeting and what we intend to gain from doing so. Why is that important? It is so that we do not waste our time, energy and whatever other resources we may expend in attending the meeting.

Unfortunately, many who attend church meetings today just attend to fulfil all righteousness. They have been told that it is a good practice to attend church meetings. And it is indeed a good practice to do so. But what do you intend to gain by attending any church meeting? Is there even anything to gain by doing so? If there are things to gain by doing so, how do you position yourself to gain them? Many don’t keep any of these things in mind when they are going for church meetings. So, they end up gaining nothing and also wasting their time, energy and even money. What a shame!

The second thing Solomon tells us in that bible text about how to make the most of church meetings is the need for us to be more interested in what God has to say to us than in what we have to say to Him or give to Him. Are we not supposed to say anything at all to God in our church meetings? Yes, we are to say things to Him, all kinds of things. And are we not to give to God in our church meetings? Yes, we are to give to Him, anything our hearts desire to give to Him.

However, we must always remember that God is more interested in what He wants to do to our lives than in whatever we want to offer to Him. Therefore, we must put listening to Him and learning from Him above everything else. That way, He will be able to show us how to talk to Him and give to Him in ways that are acceptable in His sight.

For instance, Jesus once visited the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. And while Mary sat down at His feet to learn from Him how to live to please God, Martha was busy running up and down, trying to get a meal ready for Him. Then when Martha saw that Mary would not join her in what she was doing, she came to protest to the Lord to rebuke her sister and ask her to join her in the work. But to her surprise, the Lord did not do that at all. Instead, this is how He responded to her: “”Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”” (Luke 10:41-42NIV)

Did you see that? We may be busy about many things for God and still not really be making sense to Him. And that will be the case, if we will not first yield ourselves to learn from Him what He really wants from us. Martha, evidently, on that occasion wanted to make Jesus happy by cooking some delicious meal for Him and His disciples. But she should have first sat down to learn from Him what He really wanted. Then she may even realise that He did not need her food at all at that moment and that it was something else that He needed.

In like manner, we too must take learning from the Lord more seriously than any other thing, especially in our church meetings. We must make sure nothing robs of our opportunity to learn from Him. Otherwise, as Solomon tells us in that bible text, we may end up offering Him prayers, songs, money and services that are nothing but sacrifices of fools. And will He reward us for any foolish sacrifice we bring to Him? No! So, when next you are coming for any church meeting, keep these things in mind. And may the Spirit of God always strengthen you to do so. 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)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

He is on the lookout | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: July 17, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 10

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” (2Chron 16:9NIV)

What is the first thing we see in our opening text? It is that God is always on the lookout for certain individuals? And what sort of individuals is He on the lookout for? it is those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.

Now what we have here, of course, is similar to what our Lord Jesus says about Him. He says God is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). Why is He looking for such individuals? As we further see in our opening text, He is looking for them to equip them. And what does He want to equip them for? He wants to equip with whatever they need to serve His purpose here on earth.

So, a man may not have great and shining abilities or opportunities to do big things in life. But if his heart is fully committed to God, He will take him up and equip him with all the abilities, opportunities, time and people he needs to do things that will shock those in his world.

Think of David, for example. What special abilities or advantages did he have that qualified him to be king over Israel? None! He was not the strongest in the land, neither was he the most handsome. He was not even the eldest son of his father. That explains why Samuel had already checked out all his elder brothers before he was eventually sent for. (Cf. 1Sam 16).

Now, of course, David had some abilities and advantages, and there is no man that does not have any at all. He could sing well and also play the harp well, for instance. And these abilities qualified him to be a top musician of the king. But did they qualify him to be king? No!

Nevertheless, because he was a young man after God’s heart, he was found and chosen by Him. Look at the way Samuel announced this to King Saul, when he began to misbehave:

“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 13:14NIV)

Did you see that? While Saul was busy doing his own thing, the Lord also was busy searching the whole land for someone after His heart that He may appoint to replace him as king over Israel. And in the process, He found David. So, even though he was but a boy, He anointed him with His Holy Spirit and began to equip him with the wisdom, boldness, skills and people that he would need to be the kind of king and leader he was meant to be. Then, years later, David would say this about how God raised and equipped him:

“For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.” (Ps 18:31-35NIV)

Did you see that? David said that it was God that trained him to be a warrior and that it was His help that made him great. And all these things happened to him because his heart was fully devoted to God.

In like manner, if we will totally set our hearts on God, so that we may learn to please Him every day, He will equally set us apart to be equipped for great things in this life, regardless of what low place we are or how handicapped we may be. But are we going to totally set our hearts and affection on Him and on pleasing Him? Am I going to totally set my heart and affection on Him and on pleasing Him? That, as I pointed out before, is what will determine what things He is able to use me for and what heights He is able to take me to.

My prayer, then, for you and me is that our hearts will be daily drawn by the Holy Spirit to love God and to seek to please Him all the time. Amen.

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)

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FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 Pastor's Desk

He will not forget | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: July 14, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 13, No. 11

Pastor J.O. Lawal
Pastor J.O. Lawal

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours without measure from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to another week of the month of July 2024. My prayer is that God will remember every good thing He has purposed to do in your life this year and begin to do it without delay, so that His glory may manifest in your life afresh before the year runs out, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the things we are shown in Scriptures is that God does not forget or overlook people’s good works. In like manner, He does not forget or overlook people’s evil works. Yes, if a wicked person seeks God’s mercy and forgiveness and also turns away from his wicked works, God will forget his past wicked works and not punish him for them. And that is because He is a God of mercy. (Cf. Ezek 18:21-23)

But as long as the wicked continue to live in wickedness, their wicked works will not be forgotten by God at all. And when the time is ripe, even if it is a thousand years later, He will surely punish them according to their wickedness. For instance, when Saul was king over Israel, God sent this word to him concerning the Amalekites: “I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'”” (1Sam 15:2-3NIV)

Did you see that? Even though several years had gone by, God did not forget the wickedness of the Amalekites towards the children of Israel when they just came out of Egypt (Exodus 17). Instead, He remembered everything vividly and decided to punish them for it during the reign of King Saul. And that is because He is a God of justice. So, if you are doing evil at the moment and God does not seem to notice it, the reason is that the time for your punishment is not yet ripe. When the time for your punishment is ripe, God will not forget to deal with you appropriately and adequately.

In like manner, if you are doing good and it seems that God is not paying attention at all, don’t relent. That is because God is never going to forget or overlook your good works. The bible says, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” (Heb 6:10NIV) Did you see that? God is not an unjust God. He is not a God that will remember to repay the wicked for their wicked works but not remember to repay the righteous for their good works.

Some of us have had bosses at work that always remembered to abuse and punish us for our failures but never remembered to praise or reward us for the successes we brought to them. And that would have discouraged us in many ways. But God is not like that. He is not a God that remembers people’s bad works alone, so as to punish them accordingly. Rather, He is a God that also remembers people’s good works, so as to reward them accordingly.

However, God’s time of rewarding people is not what any of us can choose for Him. None of us is even wise enough to be able to choose for Him the time to reward us for the good things we are doing. He is the only one wise enough to reward us at the right time, when we will be able to full enjoy whatever reward He gives to us. And that is why we are told not to get tired of doing good, for God will remember to reward us for it at the proper time if we do not give up (Gal 6:9).

So, even if it does not look like anything good will come out of all that you are doing for the Lord, for His people and for others around you, don’t be discouraged. That is because God is taking note of everything. And when the time is ripe, He will surely remember to reward you. But if you have allowed discouragement to set in because you cannot see any immediate reward from God for what you are doing, know that He will not remember to reward you for good works that you have not done for Him. So, don’t give up on doing good. Instead, continually do more and more. And I pray that nothing will corrupt your good works and make you lose the rewards meant for them, 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)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Learn to draw from Him | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: July 10, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 9

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.” (1Sam 30:6NIV)

Why was David greatly distressed on the occasion mentioned in our opening text? It was because his men, his mighty men of valour, were talking about stoning him to death. But why would they want to do that? These were men of war. These were men that the bible says so much about their exploits and their devotion to David. Yet they wanted to stone him on this occasion. What sort of tragedy could have befallen them?

Well, as bible account shows us, the reason was that all these men had lost their wives and children to Amalekite raiders. And whose fault was that? It was largely David’s fault. David was their leader. And while they were moving around and fighting all kinds of battle from place to place, he should have thought about leaving some men behind to guard their families and possessions. So, the reason they lost their families and children to those raiders was that he was negligent to some extent about the welfare of his people. (Cf. 1Sam 27:1-12 & 30:1-2)

But then, David was not entirely to blame for what befell them. The men with him too should have thought about counselling him to leave some people behind for the protection of their family members. But it is not said in Scriptures that any of them counselled him about this at all. If he had been counselled by at least one of them and had refused to listen, it would have been a different thing entirely. But since none of them was open-minded enough at the time to think of the protection of their families while they would be away, they should not have put the whole blame on David.

Sadly, they put the whole blame on him, to the extent that they even talked about stoning him for their loss, as though that would solve the problem. And as I said before, we are talking about mighty warriors here. Yet their hearts failed them on this occasion. Their hearts so failed them that all they could think of doing was cry. And they cried until they had no more strength to cry. But did that change their situation? No!

Now David too cried and wept like them and with them. Also, he accepted his error of judgment as their leader and did not quarrel with them for talking about stoning him. But he did more than crying and accepting his failure. He also went on to strengthen himself in the Lord. In other words, he reminded himself of the presence of God with him and on his side. And he drew his strength from this to pray and to also pursue and destroy the raiders that had captured their families. So, he not only recovered all that they had taken away from him and his men; he also brought back great wealth. Hallelujah! (Cf. 1Sam 30:6-31)

What, then, do we learn from this? It is that each of us must learn to draw strength from the Lord ourselves. Yes, we may have great people of faith who love and care about us in our lives and around us. But there may be times when their faith may not be strong enough or strong at all to help us. In fact, there may be times when, instead of strengthening us with their faith, they may simply be pulling us down with their fear and unbelief.

David’s men, as we see in Scriptures, were all warriors. Not only that, all of them believed in him and in the anointing of God upon his life as their future king. Otherwise, they would not have left the comfort of their homes with their families to wander from place to place with him. Yet on the occasion mentioned in our opening text, these men’s faith failed them; their faith was of no use to David. And if he had not learnt before that time to draw strength from the Lord, he and his men may have lost their families and possessions forever. That, of course, may have ruined God’s plans for his life as the future king of Israel.

Remember Job too. Remember that even though all his three friends that came to comfort him during his trials were men of faith in God, none of them was able to help him. Their faith could not help him find healing or deliverance. In fact, they did not even exercise their faith for his healing at all. They did not come together to pray or intercede for him. Instead, they just abused and condemned him unjustly. So, in the long run, he had to tell them to shut up, for they were nothing but miserable comforters and worthless physicians to him. And if he had not learnt to trust God by himself to receive his restoration, the unkind words of those friends of his could have made him give up and die before his time. (Cf. Job 13:4-5 & 16:2)

So, don’t think the faith of your parents, friends, husband, wife, siblings or church leaders will always be strong enough to support you in moments of trials. Yes, it will be good for that to always be case. And it can always be the case with some of the people in your life. But what if it is not the case? What if the faith of this loving and loyal friend, partner or church leader happens not to be strong enough to help you in a situation, will you be able to trust God by yourself and still walk in victory?

That, of course, is not a question you can answer carelessly. But it will be good that you are able to say, “Yes, I will be able to trust God myself to walk in victory over any situation, even if I cannot find any faith person supporting me?” And you will be able to say so, if you will daily learn to take your walk with the Lord seriously and to draw from Him the strength, courage and any other thing you may need to stay victorious in life.

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)

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FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 Pastor's Desk

True disciples of Jesus | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: July 07, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 13, No. 10

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am happy to welcome you to the second week of the month of July 2024. I pray that your heart will be daily strengthened to remain true to the Lord, even if everyone around you is failing Him. Amen.

As our Lord Jesus points out to us, one the things that will show that we are truly His disciples is our readiness to hate the people that are close to us. Look at the way Luke puts this in his gospel:

“Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”” (Luke 14:25-27NIV)

Did you see that? Anyone that will be a true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ must hate his own father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters and even his own life. But is that not contrary to the message of love that Jesus Christ is preaching? No!

See, when the Lord says these things, He does not mean that we are not to love our people at all. Remember that He Himself tells us to love and pray for our enemies. And if He wants us to love and pray for our enemies and even those who persecute us, will He not want us to love our families and friends more? He will. (Cf. Matt 5:43-48)

So, when He said that we must hate our own people in order to be His disciples, He does not mean that we are not to relate to them in love. Rather, He means that we must love and take Him more seriously than them. In other words, He must always come first in our lives. And if He comes first in our lives, then, if our family members or friends are doing something contrary to His will, we will not join them. Instead, we will take our stand against them.

For example, when Moses wanted to judge the children of Israel for making an idol of gold for themselves to worship in place of God and losing control of themselves in their crazy partying, He asked the people, “Who is on the Lord’s side?” And all the Levites came to his side. Then he gave them the Lord’s command, which was that they were to take their swords and go through the camp of Israel, killing everyone that had not become sober, even if the person was their family member, friend or neighbour. And they did. (Cf. Ex 32:25-28)

Now could it have been easy for those Levites to kill their own parents, children, brothers, sisters, friends or neighbours that day? No! That was a heavy cross for them to carry, for they would have to live with the memory of killing their own people for the rest of their earthly lives. But because they loved God more, they killed them. And because they did that, the bible goes on to say this: “Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the LORD today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”” (Ex 32:29NIV)

Can you now see why God chose the tribe of Levi out of all the tribes of Israel to reveal Himself to them so that they may serve Him in His temple? It was all because they hated their own family members, friends and neighbours in order to honour God. And the Lord Jesus is telling us that we too must be prepared to function in the same spirit, if we want to be His disciples indeed.

This, of course, does not mean that we too have be willing to kill our own family members or friends, just because we want to show our love for God or our Lord Jesus. Unfortunately, there are still religions in the world today who think killing others for God is a great way to show their love for Him. But God is not asking anyone to kill anybody for Him today. That is because He has already offered Jesus as a sacrifice for us all.

However, what He is asking us is to be willing to stand against anything that He is against, even if it is our own flesh and blood that is involved. And are we willing to do that? Are we willing to go against our parents, brothers, sisters, friends, wives, husbands and children, if they are walking contrary to the will of God? It is only those who are ever ready to do this that are true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not those who are saying they are His disciples with words of mouth only. And I pray that we all will be strengthened by the Spirit of God to be ready every day to bear whatever cross we have to carry to be true disciples of the Lord Jesus. 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)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Place the right value on it | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: July 03, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 8

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“”I tell you the truth,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed — only Naaman the Syrian.”” (Luke 4:24-27NIV)

Who said these words? It was our Lord Jesus Christ. To whom did He say them? It was to the people of His hometown. And why did He say such words to them? He said them because the people did not value Him and His ministry the way they should have.

Now why did the people of Jesus’ hometown not value Him the way people did in other places that He had been? It was because they thought that they knew Him well. And they did know Him well. They knew His earthly parents and His earthly brothers and sisters. They also knew His house. And they knew His trade. (Cf. Matt 13:54-58; Mark 6:1-5)

But that was all that they knew about Him, things that concerned His life in the natural realm. They did not know the spiritual man in Him. They did not know Him as the Son of God that was sent to save mankind. They did not know Him as their Messiah and King. And they did not know Him as a man of God.

Therefore, He could not do many mighty works among them, as He had done in all the other places He had gone. And this, as gospel writers note, shocked Him. Their unbelief surprised Him. You can see, then, that even God cannot operate well in an atmosphere of unbelief. He cannot operate well in an atmosphere of bitterness, jealousy, evil suspicions or resentment. So, if we permit any of these things in our lives, homes, workplaces or churches, even if Jesus were to physically come down from heaven and minister to us, He may not be able to help, save or lift us.

In any case, because of the attitude of the people of His hometown to Him, Jesus drew their attention to a very bitter truth, which is that servants of God don’t always get the kind of respect and honour they deserve among those closest to them in the flesh. Therefore, it is often outsiders that enjoy them and their grace of God upon their lives the more.

Now the Lord goes on to give us examples from the Scripture to back this reality up. First, He said even though there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time and when there was famine in the land, God did not send him to any of them. Instead, He sent him to a widow outside the land. And it was that widow that enjoyed the grace of his ministry during that period in order to survive the famine. (Cf. 1Kings 17)

Second, the Lord said even though there were many with leprosy in the land of Israel in Elisha’s time (a mention is even made of four of them in connection to the famine in Samaria), not one of them received their healing and cleansing through the ministry of Elisha. But when Naaman, a foreigner, travelled all the way down from his country to meet this man of God, he received his healing and cleansing, having humbled himself. (Cf. 2Kings 5&7)

What point, then, is the Lord making by saying these things? It is that the fact that we possess something or that something is readily available to us does not mean that we will enjoy its full benefits. If we do not place the right value on it, its benefits and blessings may just elude us. But if others, who do not have the kind of right or access that we have to that thing, will place the right value on it, they may just be the ones enjoying the benefits and blessings that should have been ours as well or ours in the first place.

So, don’t ever mistake possession for enjoyment. No, don’t misrepresent association for satisfaction. If you do not place the right value on the people and things God has placed in your life, you will not be able to enjoy well the blessings and benefits on your relationship with them. Yet, right before your eyes, others who value these people and things well may begin to draw all kinds of enjoyment from them in ways beyond your expectation. So, get rid of whatever is preventing you from placing the right value on the gifts of God in your life. Doing so will serve you well.

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)