Author: Pastor J.O. Lawal

“In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away.” (Acts 27:30-32NIV)

Why did the sailors mentioned in our open bible text want to abandon the people with them and run away? It was because they were selfish. Yes, as the account goes, their lives and the lives of all the people on board with them had been in danger for days. And that was because their ship had been caught by a terrible storm that was bent on destroying all of them. But the reason they found themselves in that mess in the first place was that they would not listen to Paul before they started the journey. (Cf. Acts 27:9-20)

As the account also shows us, Paul had warned these sailors not to embark on that journey at the time they did because he perceived that it was going to be dangerous for all of them. But they did not listen to him. Not only that, they assured others that they knew what they were doing. So, majority of the people travelling with them agreed that they should proceed. And that was what exposed the lives of all of them to danger.

Nevertheless, because they had Paul on board, a man of God who was praying for everyone’s safety, God showed them mercy, sent an angel to him to assure them that none of them would lose their life. And he did assure them that they would not lose their lives, for God was going to save them. Not only that, he comforted them and encouraged every one of them to eat. (Cf. Acts 27:21-23)

But then, instead for the sailors, who put them in trouble in the first place, to remain steadfast and focus on bringing everyone to a shore of safety, all they could think of was using trick to abandon the people out there in the open sea and escape. Wasn’t that wicked and irresponsible of them? It was! But that is something that is often seen among leaders, even in the home. They will be the ones that will cause trouble for everyone. Yet they will be the first to be looking for a way to run away and leave their people to sort themselves out.

See, any leader can make mistakes. Yes, the best of leaders can make mistakes. And that is because no human being is perfect in knowledge – only God is. But if you make a mistake that has exposed others to trouble, admit it, seek God’s face for help and also do whatever is in your power to do to save those that you have compromised their safety or progress. That way, you will always have their respect and appreciation.

But if, as a leader, you abandon your people to destruction, you may never again have their blessings or approval, even if you are not the one directly responsible for their ordeals. So, if you are not ready to stay with people from start to finish, regardless of what they may possibly face on the way to their destination, don’t offer to lead them or push yourself forward as their leader. You are not fit to lead. Just admit it and take your low position.

In any case, there is a very important lesson from our opening text that we must not miss. And it is that we must always pay attention to what those with us or around us doing. That way, we can tell if it is something that will compromise our safety or progress or not. If Paul had not been paying attention to what the sailors were whispering among themselves and to their body language, he would not have been able to tell that they were planning to abandon all of them out in the open sea. But because he was paying attention, he was able to expose them and foil their wicked plot.

Now why was Paul able to pay attention in that manner and save everybody on board? Even the soldiers on board were not paying attention the way he was. He was able to do so because he did not allow himself to be consumed by their current challenges. Yes, it was a dark time for all of them. But he did not allow the darkness of the moment to consume him. That was why he was able to pray. It was also why he was able to pay attention to what everyone was doing and expose the plot of the wicked.

In like manner, we too must learn to pay attention to what is happening around us, regardless of how dark or chaotic the moment may be. Yes, we must be praying for God’s protection all the time. But we must also be watchful. Paul did not just save everyone on that ship through his prayers but also through his attentiveness, his watchfulness. And we too may not be able to save ourselves and others in some situations through prayers alone, if we are not watchful or attentive.

So, regardless of what we are confronted with, we must never allow ourselves to be so consumed by what is happening that we won’t be able to think clearly and pray to God and also pay attention to what those with us or around us are doing. Otherwise, we may just end up needlessly becoming victims of people’s selfishness, jealousy, wickedness or foolishness.

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“So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”” (Gen 39:6-7NIV)

Who left everything he had in Joseph’s care? It was his master, Potiphar. And why did he leave everything he had in his care? As the account shows us, it was because he prospered in everything he did. And why did he prosper in all that he did? It was because he took advantage of God’s presence in his life. If we too will learn to take advantage of the presence of God in our lives, we will see ourselves prospering in everything we do.

See, God’s presence in our lives will not automatically produce success in every area of our lives. We will have to learn to take advantage of it by walking in its consciousness. In other words, we will have to teach ourselves to handle every business, every challenge and every opportunity of life with the consciousness that God is with us and is able to make us victorious. This is what will drive us to meditate on His word and His power and to pray to Him for whatever we need.

Well, because Joseph learnt to take God’s presence with him seriously, he prospered in all that he did. And because he prospered in all that he did, he was made the manager of Potiphar’s household. But remember that he started in that man’s house as nothing but a seventeen-year old slave. He started with nothing to his credit. Yet, in very few years, he rose to be the overseer of his master’s household. Yes, in very few years, he rose to a place where he could have whatever form of enjoyment that was possible in Potiphar’s house.

Now it is natural for someone to become comfortable in that kind of situation and begin to think that he has eventually arrived. But can we say that Joseph had actually arrived, having become the manager of Potiphar’s household? No! Yes, he was the manager of the man’s household. But he was not a free man. He was still the man’s slave. And unless something opened his eyes to that reality, he may totally forget that God’s purpose for him in life was beyond living as an exalted or glorified slave.

Well, something eventually opened Joseph’s eyes to this reality. But it was not something pleasant at all. What was it, anyway? As we see in our opening bible text, it was the infatuation of his master’s wife. The woman, at some point, just became obsessed with the thought of having something with him. And his stubborn refusal to have anything to do with her later landed him in the prison. (Cf. Gen 39)

Now the question is, “Would Joseph have been thrown into the prison the way he was, if he had been a free man?” Not likely! There would first of all have been a fair and proper trial. That means he would have the privilege of speaking for himself. Also, witnesses, if there were any, would have been called in to testify. And if everything well, the judges in the land would have gotten to the root of the matter and exonerated him.

But he was not a free man in Egypt. He was a slave. Yes, he was a glorified slave. He was a slave, nonetheless. And as a slave, whatever right he had was what his master gave him. So, if his master decided to take away his right to live or exist, there was nothing he could do about it.

Thankfully, the man spared his life and simply imprisoned him. And interestingly, he was exalted again in the prison. He was made the chief prisoner by the prison warden and put in charge of everything going on there. But this time around, he did not allow himself to get too comfortable at all with that position. Instead, when he had an opportunity to make friends with a man that could help him get out, he did not lose or waste it at all. And though the man initially forgot him, it was still through him that God set him free and lifted him up to the place He had always wanted him to occupy in life. (Cf. Gen 39-41)

What is the point of all this? It is that you must not get too comfortable wherever you are, as long as the place is not the highest height God wants you to attain in life. Also, don’t get too comfortable with what God has not given to you permanently, regardless of the privileges or benefits it may now be offering you. That is because just one incident may take away from you those privileges or benefits. What, then, will become of you, if that should happen?

For example, there have been people whose lives were terrible messed up or who lost their minds because they lost certain well-paying jobs or because they were demoted in their workplaces or because certain people who used to support them stopped doing so or because their kind-hearted landlords died and the children of those landlords changed their rent terms. And why did that happen to them? It was because they got too comfortable with something that was not meant to last forever or something that was not theirs to possess and enjoy for a lifetime.

So, while we should take every moment to enjoy everything God has put at our disposal, we should not get carried away by the moment’s enjoyment and lose sight of the reality of our position or the reality of what we truly possess and what we don’t possess. Instead, we should open eyes to see the better things around and ahead that God has prepared for us, so that we can go for them and possess them by His grace. That way, even if a Pharaoh that knows nothing about Joseph should appear on the scene of our lives, we will not be at their mercy or have our lives thrown into misery because of them (Ex 1:8-14).

God bless you.

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)

“Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass. In it was a swarm of bees and some honey, which he scooped out with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.” (Judg 14:8-9NIV)

Who is the bible referring to in our opening text? It is Samson. He was the one that scooped out some honey from a lion’s carcass and ate it. Of course, as the story goes, he was the one that had killed that lion sometimes before that particular day. But did that make it right for him to eat honey taken from its carcass? No!

According to what God says to the children of Israel in the law of Moses, it is wrong of them to eat any animal that He has referred to as unclean for them. And even if they have to touch the carcass of such an animal, they will be unclean till the evening of the day and will have to take a ceremonial bath to make themselves clean. Then if the carcass of such an animal touches anything with water in it that can be eaten, that food becomes unclean and must be thrown away. In fact, if its carcass touches a cooking pot or oven, it has to be broken and thrown away. It is as serious as that. (Cf. Lev 11)

The question now is, “Is a lion unclean for the Israelites to eat?” Yes, according to the Law of Moses, a lion is unclean for them to eat. That is because it walks on its paws (Lev 11:27). That being the case, it was wrong of Samson to touch the carcass of that lion, not to even talk of take honey from it to eat.

But he took honey from its carcass, ate it and did not bother at all about the fact that doing so made him ceremonially unclean before God. And did he eat that honey that day because he had no alternative and was fainting? No! The bible does not tell us that he was fainting or dying when he saw that honey. Also, the bible does not tell us that an emergency necessitated what he did. On the contrary, the bible shows us that he was on his way to marry a woman in the land of the Philistines that day. So, he did what he did that day because he did not have much regard for the law of the Lord. The only thing he had any regard for at all was the special anointing of might that the Spirit of God had given him.

Sadly, there are still many like Samson today. They have no serious regard for the word of God. Why? For the most part, it is because they think that certain gifts of the Spirit that they have, perhaps healing gifts, prophetic gifts, teaching gifts or miracle gifts, are a substitute for the word of God. But no spiritual gift, however useful it may be, is given to take the place of the word of God in our lives. On the contrary, if we are going to please God in using whatever gifts He gives to us, we must use them in line with what He has said to us in His word. Otherwise, as it was the case with Samson, we may end up messing up His work, our lives and even others’ lives in using those gifts.

Well, apart from the fact that Samson made himself unclean that day by eating honey from a lion’s carcass, he also made his parents unclean by sharing the honey with them to eat as well. As we see in our opening text, this young man did not tell his parents where he had gotten the sweet honey he was eating from. Why? He knew that they would not have joined him in eating it but would have reprimanded him. So, he kept quiet about its source and just gave them to eat. And they ate it and were made unclean, even though it was unknown to them at the time that they had been made unclean.

Now were Samson’s parents guiltless because they did not know the source of the honey their son had given them to eat? No, they were not. They would have been guiltless, if they had asked him where the honey had come from and he had told them a lie. That means they would have eaten the honey in good conscience.

But they too did not ask him a thing. They just collected the honey from him and started eating it. Why? Maybe they trusted him too much to think that he would give them something that would make them unclean to eat. Or maybe they felt it was totally irrelevant to do so. In short, there may have been several reasons they did not ask him for the source of the honey he gave them to eat.

One thing, however, is clear, which is that by not asking him for the source of the honey that their son gave them to eat, they exposed themselves to spiritual pollution. And if it was a matter that God was going to judge immediately and severely, they would have had only themselves to blame.

In like manner, we can expose ourselves to uncleanness, danger or the destruction of our reputation by not asking relevant questions about the source of what people are giving to us or sharing with us. Yes, we may trust someone with our lives because of our history or relationship with them. But if we are not clear about the source of certain good things they are enjoying or sharing, we should ask relevant questions. That is because even an anointed man or woman of God may deliberately ignore the word of God and allow greed or lust to take over her life for a moment. And if we partake of the reward of her lust, simply because we choose to be ignorant of what she is up to, even if it is a human that is judging the matter, he will most likely not fail to hold us guilty.

There are parents today that are enjoying with their children the riches that they got from robbery, kidnapping, money rituals or some other vices. And there are people enjoying with their spouses, friends or siblings their ill-gotten gains. Yes, these people will not tell them where their wealth is coming from. But they too will not ask. And they will not ask because they have chosen to be ignorant. But on the day that trouble will come upon these people, they too will surely have their own share of it. Then their claim of ignorance will not move anyone or make sense to them.

So, before you settle down with anyone, however close they may be to you, to enjoy riches or honour that you don’t know its source, you had better remember this story and let it be your wisdom. And may God keep you from foolishly or ignorantly making yourself a partaker of others’ sins or trouble, 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)

“And he said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.” So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and detestable animals and all the idols of the house of Israel. In front of them stood seventy elders of the house of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising. He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.'”” (Ezek 8:9-12NIV)

Those are some of Ezekiel’s words about certain things God once showed him about the leaders of the nation of Judah. As the account goes, this man of God, who was an exile in the land of the Babylonians, was meeting with a number of other elderly exiles from the land of Judah one day, when the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took him in the spirit to Jerusalem to see some of the things going on there. (Cf. Ezek 8:1-4)

Now what exactly was going on in Jerusalem at the time? Well, as we see in our opening text, all kinds of detestable practices were going on there. To make matters worse, it was not only in the city that these things were going on, they were also going on in the temple of the Lord. And to make matters even worse, there were a sizable number of the elders of the land that were involved in these wicked and idolatrous practices.

At least, as we also see in our opening text, Ezekiel was able to mention the name of one of the elders he had seen in his vision, Jaazaniah son of Shaphan. Then, in chapter 11 of the same book, speaking further about this same vision, he mentions the names of two more leaders that he saw practising wickedness in the house of the Lord. He speaks of Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah.

So, what God showed this man of God was not something figurative; rather, it was exactly what was happening in Jerusalem at the time. In fact, if you read the entire eighth, nineth, tenth and eleventh chapters of his book, you will see that he actually saw things. He saw things that were terrible enough to make him go crazy. And these things were going on in the land because the elders of the land themselves were involved.

What this is telling us is that if wickedness is widespread in a place, if wickedness is happening unchallenged in a place, check the leaders and elders there. There is every tendency that most of them are either directly involved in the evil being seen in the place or are benefiting indirectly from it.

In any case, why were those elders and religious leaders of the land confidently engaging in idolatrous practices, even in the temple of the Lord? What gave them the confidence to turn the house of the Lord into a shrine for demons and all kinds of idols? As God pointed out to Ezekiel in that vision, it was because they believed that He did not see them. They believed that since He had already abandoned the land because of their wickedness, He could no longer pay attention to what they were doing or see it. Therefore, they felt free to multiply their sins and wickedness.

But were they correct? Was it true that God could no longer see them because He had already left the land? No! The fact that God leaves someone or turns His back on them does not mean that He no longer notices or sees what they are doing. God is omniscient. So, it is impossible for Him to disappear from anybody’s life or place. That is because He is everywhere and fills everywhere.

Therefore, when He says that He has left someone, He is not saying that He has relocated to another land, country or house. Rather, He is simply saying that He is no longer going to get involved in the person’s affairs, to help, lift or protect them. So, the person will have to get by all by themselves, something that can only end in disgrace and destruction, if they are not shown mercy.

Unfortunately, those elders and leaders of the people of Judah were totally ignorant of this. So, they were doing whatever they pleased, believing that God was not looking and so would not judge them. But God was looking. He was seeing everything they were doing.

Not only that, God was ready to judge all of them for their wickedness. And because He was ready to judge them, He decided to make Ezekiel a witness of the whole thing. This was so that when certain things began to happen to them, they would not think it was an accident; instead, they would know that it was God’s judgment that had come upon them.

For example, as Ezekiel further tells us in the account, having shown him some of the detestable things those people were doing in the land and in His temple, God told him to prophesy judgment on them in that vision. And as he began to do so, one of them, Pelatiah son of Beniah, fell down and died. So, if anybody began to tell people that his death was an accident, all the people whom Ezekiel had told these things would immediately correct him that it was not an accident but God’s judgment. (Cf. Ezek 11:1-13)

What, in any case, is the point of all this? It is that the Lord sees us all the time. Yes, He sees all that we are doing and are up to, good or bad. Now He may choose to show some people what we are doing or choose not to. But we just need to know that if we are secretly doing evil, even if we are respectable leaders of His people or of our society, He sees us and will surely expose and judge us at the right time, if we fail to repent.

So, change your ways now and repent of all your hidden wicked and idolatrous practices. Otherwise, God’s judgment will come on you when you least expect. And He may make sure that people don’t see it as a accident but as His judgment. Then it is not only your life, soul, body, possession or position that you will lose; you will lose your fraudulent reputation as well. And who knows how many people in your life that will also affect?

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)

“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)