Author: Pastor J.O. Lawal

“This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes. It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.” (Gen 31:40-42NIV)

As we see in the Scriptures, when Jacob left Laban’s house, he left with great wealth. In other words, he had become a very wealthy man by the time he was leaving the man’s house. But was he meant to be wealthy in Laban’s house? Were the circumstances of Laban’s house designed to make him rich? No, not at all.

As we see in our opening text, Jacob himself testified that the twenty years he spent in Laban’s house were years of hard labour and pains. Yes, it was Laban himself, his uncle, that he was working for. Yet the man did not go easy on him at all. Instead, he made him sweat for everything he paid him in wages.

Not only that, Laban made him pay for whatever was stolen under his watch. And even when wild animals attacked and killed any of this man’s animals that Jacob was caring for, he never bothered to bring the torn animal to him. Instead, he bore the loss himself. That was because he knew the kind of person Laban was. He would not listen to explanation; he would simply dismiss them excuses. (Cf. Gen 31:39)

In addition to that, Laban was a terrible cheat. If Jacob had thought that he knew how to cheat people, he found out that he knew nothing about being a cheat when compared with Laban. As he equally points out in our opening text, Laban cheated him of his wages ten times in twenty years. This man just kept looking for ways to pay him less than he actually deserved.

Furthermore, Laban was involved in the practice of divination. Once, when Jacob was bent on leaving him, he earnestly begged him to stay. And his reason was that he had found out through divination that Jacob was the reason God was blessing him. So, the reason he kept Jacob with him was not that he loved or cared about him; rather, it was that he was using him for his prosperity. And if he had his way, he would have employed any form of witchcraft to make him a slave forever. (Cf. Gen 30:25-27)

But this man was Jacob’s uncle, his own blood. Not only that, he was also his father-in-law, for Jacob had married his two daughters, Leah and Rachel. Yet he did not treat him with compassion at all. Rather, he treated him ruthlessly. And the treatment he gave him was so bad that even his own daughters encouraged Jacob to take them away from his house. That was because he also used them. He used them to make money from Jacob for fourteen long years, as though they were nothing but a piece of land. What a father! (Cf. Gen 31:14-16)

So, if you have uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters, cousins, in-laws or even parents that are treating you shamefully, don’t be alarmed or discouraged. It is not a new thing. Jacob too suffered terribly at the hands of his own uncle and father-in-law. In fact, he told the man to his face that he knew that his plan was to use him and dump him – his plan was to send him away from his house a poor man.

But then, did he leave Laban’s house a poor man? No! Instead, he left his house with great wealth. Actually, by the time he was leaving, his wealth was already a threat to Laban’s prosperity (Gen 31:1). And how did that happen? Why couldn’t Laban’s evil system of doing things succeed in making Jacob poor and empty?

Well, the reason was that God was with him. As we also see in our opening text, Jacob told Laban that if God had not been with him, then, his wicked schemes and witchcraft would have succeeded against him. But God was with him. Yes, he worked really hard for Laban, more than he might have needed to work under normal circumstances. But his hard labour was not in vain. God made his hard labour result in great prosperity for him, in spite of the wicked schemes and sorcery of his uncle and father-in-law. Hallelujah!

Now is God with you too, as he was with Jacob? If He is with you, then, trust Him to do for you what he did for Jacob, if you are in similar circumstances. Yes, trust Him to frustrate every system, scheme, policy or sorcery being employed against your prosperity, peace of mind and safety in your country, town, workplace, school or community. And He will surely frustrate it, if you too will stay in His righteousness. Therefore, your hard and diligent labour will not be in vain. And even if you have to leave where you are now for wherever your heart desires to be, you will not leave empty-handed.

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)

“Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.” (1Sam 17:38-40NIV)

Why did David refuse to use King’s Saul’s armour and weapons when he was going to fight Goliath? Was it out of pride? No! Or what is out of respect for the king? No! Rather, it was because he was not used to wearing an armour or to fighting in one. Therefore, Saul’s armour and weapons were simply going to put him at a disadvantage, even though the king did not mean for that to happen. And David was wise enough to know that and also bold enough to say ‘No’ to what would not work for him.

Now did he defeat Goliath on that occasion or not? He did! With what did he defeat him? With a sling and a stone! How did that happen? How did he succeed in defeating a warrior giant with a sling and a stone? First, he succeeded in defeating him because God was with him. Second, he succeeded in defeating him because he was extremely good with using the sling. In fact, as we see in the account, he only slung just one stone and Goliath was dead meat.

So, you can see that David did not really need Saul’s armour and weapon to win that fight. Yes, wearing the king’s armour and handling his weapons would be a great honour for him. But the whole thing may have looked ridiculously terrible on him, given the fact that King Saul himself was not at all a small man in stature – he was the tallest in all Israel when he became king. (Cf. 1Sam 10:23)

Besides, Saul’s armour and weapons would not on their own give David the much-needed victory over Goliath; it was the use to which he put them that would give him victory over the giant. And since he was not used to them, they would contribute nothing to his victory, even if he won using them. On the contrary, as I mentioned earlier, they would most likely slow him down and be the reason he would lose.

What, then, is the point of all this? It is that in handling life matters, we should be clear about what works for us and what does not work for us. That way, even if people should offer us what will not work for us for free, we will know how to respectfully and boldly reject it or lay it aside. Otherwise, we may expose ourselves to avoidable failure or shame.

Truly, out of care or pity, people may offer us new tools, new weapons, new dresses, new shoes or new ways of doing things to meet an opportunity or to handle a challenge. And nothing is wrong with that, since they mean well. But if what they are offering us is not what we can immediately use for the occasion at hand, without any form of training or practice, it will be wisdom for us to respectfully lay it aside. We can, of course, use it in the future, when we have mastered the art of using it, but not for the occasion at hand. Otherwise, failure and disgrace may be what will follow.

For instance, if, as a lady, you are not accustomed to wearing high-heel shoes, don’t force yourself to wear them on your weeding day, simply because it is your childhood friend that bought them for you. Or else you may just be calling for disgrace.

Also, if you have not been teaching your students using a tablet, don’t attempt to use one during a teaching interview, simply because a friend is offering it to you and telling you that it will make you look professional. Has anybody said that it is compulsory that you use a tablet for the interview? If no one has said that, then, it is surely not a prerequisite to success in the interview. Insisting on using it, then, may just make you make a fool of yourself.

Am I now saying that you should not try new inventions or new ways of doing things? No! As you have opportunity, you should get yourself acquainted with new innovations, new inventions and new ways of doing things in life. That is one of the ways to show that you are not stagnant. But in handling immediate matters of your life and where you have a choice, stick to using only those things that work for you. I pray that disgrace will always be far from you, in Jesus’ name. 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)

“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.” (Ex 13:17-18NIV)

One of the things we must never have assumptions about is our readiness to handle our duties, challenges or opportunities. Otherwise, those assumptions may be very costly.

A student, for instance, that assumes that he is ready for an examination that he is not ready for will fail terribly. And a boxer that assumes that he is ready for an opponent that he is not ready for may lose his life in the ring, even before the fight is over. Then a job seeker that assumes that he is ready for an interview that he is not ready for may end up embarrassing himself and whoever recommends him. And a man that assumes that he is ready for marriage, when he is not ready for it, may end up messing his life and the lives of other people up.

So, if we want to save ourselves from unnecessary embarrassment and failure in life, we must never engage in anything we are not most certain we are ready to handle. And one way to do that is to possess sufficient knowledge of the nature of challenges, duties or opportunities before us and also a true appreciation of our abilities to handle them. If we don’t know the enormousness of what is before us, we cannot claim to be ready to handle it. Also, if we have no true appreciation of our abilities, we cannot tell whether we are well able to handle whatever is before us that requires handling or not.

For instance, in our opening bible text, we are told that on the day that the Israelites went out of Egypt, they went out ready for battle. And were they actually ready for battle? Well, in their own estimation, they were ready for battle. But were they aware of the nature of battle they might face on their way to the Promised Land? No! How, then, could they confidently think of themselves as ready for battle?

Now as the account of their exodus from Egypt further shows, not long after they had left Egypt, Pharaoh changed his mind, mustered his army and went after them. So, they soon found themselves sandwiched between the army of Pharaoh and the Red Sea. And what did they do? Did they brace themselves to fight those Egyptians? No! Instead, they panicked and cried and accused Moses of bringing them out into the desert to waste their bodies.

But these were the same people that had confidently marched out of Egypt and ready for battle. Evidently, they simply assumed that they were ready for battle. They were not ready at all for it at the time. And if God had not been on their side to protect them, they would have perished at the hands of their Egyptian overlords or be enslaved again.

By the way, God had always known that they were not ready at the time for any kind of battle. That was because they had not fought any battle in centuries. They had been nothing but slaves being used for all kinds of slave jobs by the Egyptians. So, they had no training or experience for battle. That, of course, was why, as we see in our opening text, God did not take them through a road that would expose them to all kinds of battles, even though it was the shorter route to where they were heading. He did not want them to run back in terror to Egypt, if they should face war. Sadly, He seemed to be the only one that knew these things; they themselves did not know them.

Now perhaps that is the way things are with you too. Only God knows what you are ready for and what you are not ready for. You yourself don’t know these things. Then you are bound to be taking steps based on assumptions. And as long as you are doing that, you will not stop embarrassing yourself with unnecessary failure and disgrace and making life harder for yourself.

So, stop working with assumptions about your abilities, challenges, duties and opportunities. Instead, first, starting praying that God, who knows everyone’s true ability, will daily fill your heart with sufficient knowledge of your true abilities in order that you may appropriately employ them. Then also learn to pray that God, who knows all the challenges and opportunities you will face in life and also what is lacking in your ability to handle them, will daily perfect all that concerns you. That way, you will be well equipped and made ready to handle whatever comes your way and win all the time.

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)

“Uzziah rested with his fathers and was buried near them in a field for burial that belonged to the kings, for people said, “He had leprosy.” And Jotham his son succeeded him as king.” (2Chron 26:23NIV)

Why was Uzziah not buried where the kings before him had been buried? It was because he had leprosy. And how did that matter? Could his corpse contaminate the skeletons of his ancestors in their tomb? No! What is the difference between a leprous corpse and any other corpse? Isn’t a dead body a dead body, whether clean or leprous? It is.

Nevertheless, because the people of the land of Judah were all saying that Uzziah died a leprous king and should not be buried with the kings before him, his son who succeeded him and the palace administrators decided to bury him in a nearby cemetery. So, public sentiments prevailed.

But then, Uzziah was a great king and lover of God. The land was at rest all through the fifty-two years of his reign. And the people also prospered greatly during his reign because God was with him to give him marvellous help. Yet public sentiments would not allow him to get a befitting royal burial when he died. And that was because he allowed pride in his life and came under God’s judgment of leprosy. What a shame! (Cf. 2Chro 26:1-22)

Now what is the point of this? It is that public sentiments often mean a lot in life. And it does not matter whether these sentiments are founded on truth or falsehood, they can go a long way in determining how the majority will treat us. So, riding on public sentiments, an entirely useless and dishonesty person can attain an important position in the society. Similarly, through public sentiments, an upright and godly person like Jesus Christ may end up a cross.

Therefore, even though we, as children of God, should never live our lives for the praise of men, we must not allow ourselves to foolishly or ignorantly become victims of public sentiments. This, in fact, is one of the reasons our Lord Jesus says this to us: “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:16NIV)

Did you see that? Our good works must be obvious and not advertised. In other words, we are to live in such a way that people will readily see that we are good and also full of good and righteous works. And where this is the case, we won’t need to pay anyone to advertise our good works; those good works will speak for themselves.

In any case, the Lord’s point is that public sentiments must always be in our favour, as far as doing what is good and righteous is concerned. Why? It is so that God may be praised because of us. This, of course, does not mean that people will love us or want to vote us into public offices because of our good and righteous works. Rather, it means that even if they have to reject or denounce us, it will not be because public sentiments present us as wicked, hypocritical or bias but because they present us as individuals who are too upright, righteous and honest to allow evil to reign. And that is not a bad testimony.

Therefore, as Paul did, let us learn to always do what is good and right, not just in the sight of God but also in the sight of men (2Cor 8:21). And let us equally learn to take advantage of God’s grace to rid our lives of all forms of obvious imperfections that could give room for blame. Then we won’t be foolishly or ignorantly building public sentiments against ourselves and the Christian faith.

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)

“I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men!” (Eccl 1:12-13NIV)

Who, in our opening text, said that he devoted himself to studying? It was Solomon. And why did he, of all people, need to study? At least, from what we see in Scriptures, God gave him wisdom, insight and a breadth of understanding that was beyond measure. What, then, did he need to study for? Was he not supposed to know everything by default?

Well, even though Solomon was unusually blessed by God with wisdom, insight and understanding, these things are not the same as knowledge. Indeed, wisdom, insight and understanding are needed to properly apply knowledge and make it profitable. But without knowledge all of them are still useless. That is because knowledge is the substance they work with.

How, then, do we gain knowledge? Knowledge, of course, is also a gift from God. But to say the fact, it is not really knowledge that is God’s gift; rather, it is the ability to know things or acquire knowledge that is God’s gift. In other words, when we say that God has given someone knowledge, what we actually mean is that God has given the person the ability to know things, to know all that he can know. If the person, then, will know all that he needs to know and that he can know, he will need to study. That means the person will need to apply his mind to know things and how they work.

Yes, God is able to make people know things supernaturally, that is, without having to study or learn them. But it is not in every situation that God reveals things to people supernaturally. In many cases, He does not. Why? It is because He has already given each of us the ability to study and learn to know things, to one degree or the other. And He expects us to employ this ability to the full.

If we, then, are employing it, He will not hesitate to reveal those things we can only know supernaturally to us, especially if we will ask Him. But if we will not employ the ability He has given to us to learn and know what we don’t need supernatural knowledge for, why should we expect Him to trust us with supernatural knowledge?

So, for the wisdom, insight, understanding and the ability to know things that that God gave to Solomon to shine, he would need to apply himself to studying everything he considered useful to him in life. Otherwise, nothing would become of these gifts that God had given to Him. And did he apply himself to studying or not? He did. In fact, he went as far as studying about plant life and animal life in order to stand out as a king of kings and as a man that was worth listening to by the whole world. (Cf. 1Kings 4:29-34)

Look also at our Lord Jesus Christ. Was it everything that He relied on supernatural knowledge to know? No! If He did that, there were a lot of things He would not know at all. But like other children, He too had to learn all kinds of things that would make Him fit for life. Then, in order to be able to live by the word of God and also handle it correctly with the wisdom of God in Him, He had to give Himself to studying it. And judging from the way He handled it, He surely studied it more than the religious leaders of the people.

In like manner, if we too will see God’s gifts of wisdom, insight, understanding and knowledge at work in tremendous ways in our lives, we must devote ourselves to studying His word, to studying life and to studying everything that is useful to succeeding in whatever field of life we have chosen to operate in. So, don’t run away from studying. Don’t be lazy in studying. It is one great way to activate God’s gifts of wisdom, insight and understanding that are already in you. Otherwise, you may end up small, useless or insignificant 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)