Author: Pastor J.O. Lawal

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: When your background is irrelevant|Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones
Date: December 13, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 31

“Where you began will seem unimportant, because your future will be so successful.” (Job 8:7NCV)

Recently, I congratulated one of my church elder brothers who was just awarded a doctorate degree by one of the prestigious universities in the land. And though the news met me as a surprise, I was really happy and grateful to God for him. Why? First, it was because I remembered where we started from. It was a little town that you could not find on the map of Nigeria of those days. It was really a rural place then and still won’t be considered by many as an urban centre today. Yet, against all odds, some people have risen from that same rural place to become great and mighty in the country. 

So, where you started from in life is not really what is important but where you eventually rise to. You may have started from an obscure and unknown place in life. But once you become successful and great in life, only few people will bother to find out where you started or how you started. What they will be concerned about is how they can be a part of your success or benefit from it.

Second, I was surprised at the news of his doctorate degree award because when we were still the young boys of the church, he did not look like someone that would go on to become an academic. Yes, he was one of our role models then, someone that would master anything he set his heart on to learn. But I personally still did not see an academic in him. Yet, at this moment, what I saw or did not see in him years ago is irrelevant. He is already what he is by the grace of God. 

And there is nothing anybody can do against that.What is the point of that? It is this: that you do not have an impressive look or beginning does not mean you are not loaded with God’s grace to become great and mighty here on earth. So, don’t let how you look or where you are taking off prevent you from dreaming great things for yourself in life. 

Instead, determine to take advantage of the grace of God to utilise to the full all the beautiful things He has deposited in you. And if you will do that, only God Himself can tell how far you will go and how high you will rise in life.Now that, of course, is the point being made by one of Job’s friend (Bildad) in our opening bible text. And though he was misapplying it at the time, we cannot run away from the truth it is communicating. What truth is it communicating? It is that your future can make your background irrelevant. 

In other words, what becomes of your life in the future can make your background, social, academic, financial or spiritual, irrelevant. What, then, will become of your life, when all has been said and done? Will it make your natural or spiritual background irrelevant? If it will make it irrelevant, in what way will it make it irrelevant? Is it going to be on a positive note or on a negative note? The future that that dear church elder brother of mine came into has made his natural background irrelevant on a positive note. 

Everyone will now relate to him on the basis of his new status, a doctor of philosophy, not on the basis of the littleness or insignificance of the town in which he was born and raised. But the same thing could not be said of the prodigal son. He was born and raised in wealth. But all of that, at some point, became irrelevant, since he failed to make the most of it in building a place of greatness for himself in life. (Cf. Luke 15)

Well, the point is that when the story of your life is finally completed, what becomes of you is what will really matter and not your background. My prayer is that you will be led by the Spirit of God to make the most of everything He has provided for you to be all that you can be in this life, irrespective of your background, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

Outrageous honour | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 10, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 32

from pastor's desk

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to another week of the last month of this year, the month of December 2023. My prayer is that God will lead you to do every good thing you are meant to do this year, so that His rewards that are also meant to be yours by doing so will be yours without delay, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we see in the bible, just some days before our Lord Jesus was crucified, a dinner was given in His honour in Bethany, where He had raised Lazarus from the dead. And Mary, the sister of Lazarus, took advantage of the moment to celebrate Him in an unexpected and outrageous way. What did she do? Here is the account:

“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “[It was intended] that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”” (John 12:3-8NIV)

Did you see that? Just to honour Jesus, this woman poured on His feet a whole jar of perfume that was worth one year’s wages of a hired worker. When did she start planning to do this? We would not know. How did she get this jar of very expensive perfume? We would not know. But we do know that what she did that day was not well-received by most of the people that witnessed it. Why? It was outrageous!

To say the fact, it is outrageous to use one year’s salaries to buy a bottle of perfume and then waste everything on one person’s feet in few minutes. Many would even consider it irresponsible to use up that kind of expensive perfume in few months. But Mary did not use it up in few months but in few minutes. And she did it without any feeling of guilt or reluctance. She did it cheerfully and even used her hair to clean the Lord’s feet, as she poured the perfume on them.

Now why did she do that? Her reason for doing so is actually beyond what we can imagine. But it is clear that Jesus meant so much to her that she wanted to honour Him in such a way that anyone who heard about what she did would surely say, “What? Is that not too much?” And that was exactly what happened. Those who witnessed what she did were all like, “Stop! What are you doing? Is this not too much?” In fact, Judas Iscariot protested seriously against it and said that she should have given the perfume to the Lord so that they would sell it and give the money to the poor.

But then, to everyone’s surprise, the Lord did not stop Mary or rebuke her for doing what she did. Instead, He said what she did was done by the leading of the Spirit. In fact, He added that it was God that made her save that perfume for that moment, to prepare Him for His burial. In other words, if she had not honoured Him the way she did that day, the opportunity to do so would have eluded her forever, for it was during that same period that He was arrested and killed. But because she did it, the Lord said, as recorded by both Matthew and Mark in their gospels, wherever the gospel is proclaimed, what she did will also be told, in memory of her. And that is what I am doing here. (Cf. Matt 26:13; Mark 14:9)

In any case, what is the point of this story? First, it is that we must desire to honour Jesus in outrageous ways, in ways that will make those around us wonder whether we are the only ones He is good to. That is because He deserves it. Second, it is that we must learn to pray that God will always lead us to recognise every opportunity to specially honour the Lord that we must not miss in life and to also be ready to utilise it. Otherwise, we will miss those special rewards that are meant to be ours alone.

Now perhaps the Spirit of God is already telling you that this year-end gives you an opportunity to do something rare, something outrageous to honour the Lord. It will be wise for you to listen and act without delay. Otherwise, the opportunity to do so may never show up again. And if that should happen, your reward also will never be yours. My prayer is that just as Mary, King Solomon and Barnabas did not miss their opportunities to honour God in very outrageous ways and be unusually rewarded by Him, you too will not miss yours. Amen. (Cf. 1Kings 3:4-15; Acts 4:36-37)

Have a great week.

Copyright © 2023, 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

It was nothing but a symbol | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 06, 2023 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 30

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“When the ark of the LORD’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook. Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?” When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp, the Philistines were afraid. “A god has come into the camp,” they said. “We’re in trouble! Nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert. Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!” So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.” (1Sam 4:5-11NIV)

Why did the Israelites bring in the Ark of the Lord’s covenant into the camp on the occasion mentioned in our opening bible text? They brought it in because they thought doing so would give them victory over their enemies, the Philistines. And did things go as they had expected? No! On the contrary, they were soundly defeated by their enemies. Not only that, the Ark of the Lord’s covenant that they had brought in to save them was captured and taken away by their enemies.

Why? What went wrong? Well, the problem was that those Israelites made the mistake of misrepresenting the Ark of the Covenant for God Himself. And notice that even the Philistines, their enemies, also made the same mistake. When they heard that the Ark of the Lord’s covenant had been brought into the camp of the Israelites, they were sorely afraid. That was because they felt that God Himself had stepped into their camp and would fight for them.

But somehow, they managed to encourage themselves to fight and fight hard, even if it meant confronting the God of the Israelites. And their courage and bravery paid off. They defeated the Israelites, captured the Ark of the Covenant and took it away to their land, believing that they had captured the God of the Israelites. And did they really capture God? No! But they had to learn the reality about that in a very hard way. (Cf. 1Sam 5-6)

In any case, my point is that the Israelites made a mistake at that time to misrepresent the Ark of the Covenant for God Himself. That was why they tried to use it like a charm to defeat their enemies. But they were wrong. That Ark was not God. That Ark was only a symbol of God’s presence. It, therefore, means that if God Himself was not with them and on their side, the presence of His Ark with them would mean nothing.

Now what God with them and on their side at the time? No! As the account shows us, God was very angry with the people at the time because of their idolatry (1Sam 7:2-4). To make matters worse, their leading priests, the sons of Eli, that were supposed to set them right were also altogether corrupt (1Sam 2:12-17). Yet these men believed that as long as the Ark of the Lord was with them, God was with them. That explains why they were confident to take this Ark into the camp of the Israelites on the day of battle, believing that it was God they were carrying there and that He would surely perform.

But to their shock, God did not perform that day. And He did not perform because He was not with them. All they had with them was a symbol of His presence, not His presence. So, they lost their lives even though they had a symbol of His presence with them. What a shame!

Unfortunately, there are still many like the Israelites of that time who have no understanding that God is not a religious symbol or item but a real person. Therefore, they always expect Him to move on their behalf, irrespective of what they are doing with their lives or their attitude towards His word, just because they are carrying some religious symbols or items around. But they are simply joking.

See, God will not do anything for anybody just because they are carrying bibles, anointing oil, anointed handkerchiefs, anointed water or some crosses around. Those things are merely religious symbols and items, having no power of their own to do anything to or for anybody. So, God can do without them any day and anytime. And even if He decides to use any of them, He will only do so to the degree that the one handling it functions according to His word. If the person using it will not take His word seriously and act on it, he will soon enough find it utterly useless to him.

So, if you are one of those whose trust is in religious symbols and items instead of in God, you have set yourself up for constant defeat. That is because instead of seeing God move on your behalf in the face of life’s challenges, it is your symbols that you are going to be seeing moving. And of what help will those moving symbols be to you, then, if you are not shown mercy by God? Of no help whatsoever!

Likewise, if you are one of those who believe that once you carry certain religious symbols or items around, things will always work together for your good, regardless of what you do, you are simply preparing yourself for sudden destruction or defeat. Remember that the Ark of the Covenant, which was a symbolic presence of God with His people, could not save the sons of Eli when they really needed salvation. And why should it save them? After all, it was nothing but pieces of wood decorated with gold.

In like manner, what you too are carrying around, whether it is made of gold or silver and regardless of who prayed over it for you, is nothing but an item. So, it won’t be able to play the role of God and save you on the day of battle, if God Himself does not save you. And will God want you to save you in your hour of need, with or without your religious symbols or items? It all depends on how seriously you take Him and His word and what measure of mercy He decides to show you. I counsel you, then, to take Him seriously instead of relying on some symbols, for in doing so is real salvation.

Copyright © 2023, 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 2023 Pastor's Desk

If God had not been on our side | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 03, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 31

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

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to the last month of this year, the month of December. My prayer is that the month will be one of overflowing joy for you and your home, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

We ought to give thanks to God for giving us the privilege to witness the last month of this year. The year, indeed, has been a very tough one for our country as a whole. And perhaps it has been a very tough one for you and your family too. Nevertheless, God has not allowed the difficulties of the year to swallow us up. And we ought to give thanks to Him for this.

Now there is a Psalm of David that I consider fitting for us to read and meditate on at such a time as this. It is Psalm 124, and it goes like this:

“If the LORD had not been on our side — let Israel say — if the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away. Praise be to the LORD, who has not let us be torn by their teeth. We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Ps 124NIV)

Did you see that? What we ought to be saying at this time is that the reason we and the people we love have not become victims of the anger, jealousy and wickedness of the enemies around us this year is that God has been on our side. If God had not been on our side, we would surely have become victims of their wicked expectations concerning us. That is what my testimony ought to be at this time. This is what your own testimony also ought to be at this time.

Also, the reason you have not been swept away by the flood and angry waters of challenges that have come against this country and against you too this year is that God has been on your side. If He had not been on your side, you will most likely have become a history. But because He is always with you, you are alive and well enough today to be able to talk about what you have been through. Should you not, then, be praising His name for this? You should.

Then it is possible that there were situations in your life this year in which you felt that Satan had eventually gotten you, situations in which you felt as if there were no way of escape for you from the shame, poverty or death staring you in the face. Yet, somehow, the traps that caught you were broken and you were able to escape without being hurt. Who do you think made that happen? It was God. He was the one that made you escape like a bird from the snare of the fowler. He was the one that did not allow you to become food for the devil and his agents.

Therefore, regardless of what you may have gone through this year, you ought to express your sincere and deep gratitude to God for keeping you alive to witness the last month of the year. No, things may not be as good as you want them to be in your life at the moment. In fact, a number of things may have gone from good to bad or bad to worse for you. But first, you need to understand that the reason you have accomplished or enjoyed any good thing at all this year is God. Without Him, you could not have done, received, eaten or enjoyed anything good at all in the year. (Cf. Ecc 2:24-25; Is 26:12; 1Tim 6:17)

Then, another thing you need to understand is that as long as there is life in you, you can still witness the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, if only you will not stop trusting Him and being thankful to Him. David, in another Psalm of his, says, “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” (Ps 27:13NIV) What about you? Are you also confident that you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living and not after you have died?

Well, I am confident that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, even in this country Nigeria, regardless of what the times may be saying at the moment. I am confident like this because I know that God, our Father, will always be with me to make all things work together for my good. And my prayer is that you too will be strengthened to confidently walk with God to experience every good thing He wants you to experience in this life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a splendid December 2023.

Copyright © 2023, 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

A blessing or a curse | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 29, 2023 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 29

“Noah, who was a farmer, was the first man to plant a vineyard. After he drank some of the wine, he became drunk, took off his clothes, and lay naked in his tent.” (Gen 9:20-21GNT)

Why did Noah get drunk on the wine he had made? He got drunk on it because he did not know that too much of wine was capable of getting someone drunk. Truly, he was the one that discovered that wine could be gotten from fruits. And he made that discovery because God’s blessing of fruitfulness was at work in him.

However, it is not enough for us to discover anything, good or bad; it is also important that we possess adequate wisdom to handle our discovery. Otherwise, a discovery that is meant to be a blessing may end up being a curse.

Noah indeed discovered how wine could be made. And that discovery was meant to be a blessing to him. But it ended up exposing him to disgrace because he did not have sufficient wisdom to manage it. Yes, the wine he made must have tasted very sweet in his mouth and also felt quite refreshing in his body. But since he had never tasted or drunk it before, there was no way he would have known how his body would respond to it.

So, he should not have started by consuming a lot of it. That would have been his wisdom. But without knowing how his body would respond to the wine he had just made, Noah kept on consuming it until it he got drunk on it. So, he unknowingly exposed his nakedness and also ended up placing a curse on one of his grandchildren. (Cf. Gen 9:20-25)

What is this teaching us? Well, as I pointed out before, it is teaching us that it is not enough for us to possess the knowledge of anything, good or bad; it is equally important that we possess adequate wisdom to handle that knowledge. Otherwise, our possession of it may after all not do us any significant good. On the contrary, it may even end up harming us.

The discovery of crude oil in Nigeria, for instance, was meant to be a blessing, a very good thing to us as a nation. But has it been a blessing to us? No! Why? It is because, as a people, we do not have the wisdom to manage it. Yes, we know where the crude oil is located in our land. And we also know how to explore it. In fact, we explore and even export it every day. But has this improved our quality of living significantly as a nation? No! Why? Insufficient wisdom to manage it!

Personally, I am of the opinion that if we had not discovered crude oil as early as we had done, things would most likely have been better for us as a nation. At least, the country was doing relatively well before crude oil was discovered. And that was because those leading us at the time had sufficient wisdom to make use of the raw materials, which were mostly agricultural produce, that were available to them to make life better for us. If we had gotten much wiser, then, before discovering crude oil and the kind of money its exploration could make available to us, we may have been able to manage it better in making our nation great.

Well, my point is that it is not enough for you to labour to discover things or to acquire knowledge; it is also important you continually pray to God fill you with the wisdom to handle whatever knowledge you receive. Otherwise, as Paul tells the Corinthians, knowledge without adequate wisdom to handle it may end up making you proud, insensitive and reckless (1Cor 8). And these things are bound to make you stagnant or destroy you. Is that, then, what you want? Do you want that which is meant to be a blessing to become a curse for you? I am sure that is not want you want. So, don’t just seek to know; also seek to be made wise enough to handle whatever you know.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2023, 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 2023 Pastor's Desk

Don’t cover it up | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 26, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 30

from pastor's desk

Beloved: grace and mercy be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. I gladly welcome you to the last week of this month, the month of November 2023. And my prayer is that God will rid your life of everything that is associated with disgrace or that has become a source of constant sorrow to you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we see in the bible story of Naaman, he was a great man. He was a man that was highly regarded by his king and by his people. And that was because, as the commander of their army, God had used him mightily in giving them great victories over their enemies. (Cf. 2Kings 5:1)

However, as great and honourable as this man was, there was something that was a source of constant pain and sorrow to him and his family. And it was the fact that he was leprous. How did he become leprous? We are not told in the bible. But we are told that his leprosy was so troubling to him that he was willing to do anything, including visiting an enemy king, in order to get rid of it.

What is that teaching us? It is that if there is anything inconsistent with the will of God or that is associated with pain, sorrow or disgrace in our lives, we must not ignore it, regardless how well things are for us in life. Instead, we must deal with it. Unfortunately, there are many that are sleeping and waking up with habits or situations that are destroying them and yet are not doing anything about them. Why? They believe that they have enough comfort to cover up the harm those things are doing to them.

But like Naaman’s leprosy, you cannot cover up any habit or situation that is secretly eating up your life forever. At some point, the harm that thing is doing to you will become obvious to everyone. Then it might be too late for any help that comes to you to make a difference. So, don’t cover up anything that has become a source of constant pain or sorrow to you or your family. It has to be brought out in the open and dealt with.

Naaman did not cover up his leprosy. That was why the Israelite slave girl that was brought to his house was able to lead him to be truly cured of it. You too should not cover up that sin, habit or situation that is gradually consuming your life. Instead, expose it, so that you may experience true salvation from it.

However, the fact that you will not cover up that thing that is constantly troubling you does not mean you are going to get true help for it. Yes, when some people in your life know that you are in trouble, they may seek to lead you to the solution to it. But any solution to your problem that people are leading you to outside God is no solution at all. Yes, it may look like it is working. But any solution to your problem that does not come from God is only going to add to your life problems that were never there. So, don’t go for it.

The solution that Naaman was led to was in God. So, it was a perfect solution. If you too will turn to God with whatever is hurting you or eating you up, He will supply you with a perfect and permanent solution to it. All you will need to do is to simply act on His word, as Naaman did, regardless of how foolish it may seem to you. And you will surely have great testimonies of His goodness and love to share.

Do have a great week.

Copyright © 2023, 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

Title: No one knew what they were|Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones
Date: November 22, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 27

“One of them went out into the fields to gather herbs and found a wild vine. He gathered some of its gourds and filled the fold of his cloak. When he returned, he cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were. The stew was poured out for the men, but as they began to eat it, they cried out, "O man of God, there is death in the pot!" And they could not eat it. Elisha said, "Get some flour." He put it into the pot and said, "Serve it to the people to eat." And there was nothing harmful in the pot.” (2Kings 4:39-41NIV)

Who went out into the fields to gather herbs to cook? It was one of the sons of the prophets serving under Prophet Elisha. And what did he bring in to cook for his people? The gourds (fruits) of an unknown wild vine!Interestingly, when he came back with those gourds and began to cook them, nobody queried him or asked him questions, even though they did not know what he cooking for them to eat. Why? As the account shows us, it was a time of famine. So, food was scarce.

If someone, then, brought something into a house to cook, regardless of what it might be, those in that house may not ask him any questions, as long as there was something to fill their bellies with. (Cf. 2Kings 4:38)That was the situation that those sons of the prophets found themselves in. Because they were all starving, they did not bother to query their colleague about what he was cooking for them, even though not even he could tell them what it was. But it was not long after they started eating it that they all realised that it was poison they were eating. 

And if Prophet Elisha had not been around that day to supernaturally heal them and the food they were eating, the story would definitely have ended differently.Now what is the point of this bible story? It is that we must not allow any situation, however ugly it may be, to drive us into accepting to do something or consuming something that we have no adequate knowledge of what it is. 

Otherwise, we may end up consuming poison or getting involved in something that will ruin our lives before we know what has befallen us.How did some people end up being ruined through prostitution or money rituals? It was because when they were about to be introduced into these terrible things, they did not ask enough relevant questions from those introducing them into them. And why did they not ask enough relevant questions from them? They were desperate to come out of poverty and suffering. 

So, when some people told them that there was a way out, they did not bother to find out what way it was and what taking that way may do to their lives. They just sat down to eat what was set before them. And by the time they found out what was happening, they had taken enough poison to totally destroy their lives. If such people are, then, not shown mercy, they will surely be utterly ruined.In like manner, some have ended up in some deadly secret societies or in the practice of sorcery because they would not ask relevant questions from those offering them help to their problems. 

Maybe they wanted to have children, to become influential, to be healed of certain sicknesses or to be protected from some wicked enemies. Then, in their desperation, they agreed to do what certain individuals that volunteered to help them told them to do, without asking relevant questions. And before they knew it, what appeared altogether harmless when they got started became some kind of poison that was ruining their lives, homes and everything else that they held dear. If they also are not shown mercy, they can only be completely ruined.


So, again, before you settle down to eat that free food, know what it is you want to eat. And before you join that group or enlist for that business, know what you are getting involved in and what terms and conditions applied. Many all round this country are running from pillars to posts now because of some debts hanging around their necks. But how did they get into those debts? Almost unconsciously! Those who dragged them into debt did not make it look like a serious thing when they were offering them loans. They did not make it look like something capable of poisoning their world. So, they got involved without considering the reality about their abilities to handle the situations. 


And by the time the reality dawned on them, they had sunk so deep in some rivers of debt that it would probably take series of miracles from God for them to be saved.What is my point? Have adequate knowledge of whatever you are getting yourself involved in or signing up for, regardless of who is introducing it to you. Then you won’t have to needlessly surrender your life and world to be poisoned by some unknown quantity.
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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

Not far from the kingdom of God | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 19, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 29

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be multiplied to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to another week of the month of November 2023. And my prayer is that God will perfect all that concerns your walk with Him, so that you will not fail to fully receive and enjoy your own share of the inheritance that He has stored up in heaven for all His saints, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the things we learn from Scriptures is that it is possible to associate ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ or His people and still not be a part of His kingdom. It is even possible for us to preach and perform miracles in His name and still not be a part of His kingdom. For example, Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve men that were closest to the Lord Jesus during His time here on earth. And like all the others, he too preached and performed all kinds of miracles in the name of Jesus. Yet when all has been said and done, it was revealed that he was never a part of the kingdom of God. Of course, he was very close to entering it. But he never really did enter. So, he lost his soul. (Cf. Matt 7:21-23 & Matt 10)

Also, there was a teacher of the law that Jesus once had a conversation with. And when they were done talking, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” But this man was a teacher of the law of Moses. How come the Lord said that he was only close to the kingdom of God but not yet in it? It was because even though his heart was right and willing to serve God, he had not yet put his faith in Jesus as his Lord. And it is only those who put their faith in Him as their Lord that will be saved and transferred into God’s eternal kingdom. (Cf. Mark 12:28-34; Rom 10:9-10)

In addition, we have in the bible the story of a man called Cornelius. Though this man was a soldier, even God Himself testified that he was godly, prayerful and generous. Nevertheless, a day came in which God had to tell him to send for Peter to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with him, so that he would accept Him as his lord and be born again. Otherwise, he would only remain close to the kingdom of God but would not enter it till his death. What, then, would become of all his good works? They would all amount to nothing. (Cf. Acts 10)

In like manner, there are many in the world today that are only close to the kingdom of God but have not entered it. They may be good, kind, generous and god-fearing in many ways. But as long as they have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and the Saviour of their souls, they are not yet in the kingdom of God. And we need to let them know the truth about this. We need to let them know that though they ae not far from the kingdom of God, they are not yet in it. And if they should die without entering it, their souls will be lost forever and all their good works will just go to waste.

Then, though this is unfortunate, we equally have many who have identified with one Christian assembly or another but who are not yet in God’s kingdom. Yes, they too are not far from entering it. But they are not in it. I often refer to some of these as friends of the church. That is because they love to pray, sing, dance and listen to the word of God with us in our meetings. Some of them even love to finance all kinds of church projects. But their hearts are not yet ready to yield to the lordship of Jesus. And it does not matter how long they stay with us and how much service they do with us in that condition, they will only be close to the kingdom of God — they are not a part of it.

Now ask yourself, “Am I indeed in the kingdom of God or am I only close to it?” My prayer is that God will enable you to be truthful to yourself in answering this question, so that you will not wake up one day and realise that you do not really belong where you think you belong.

Have a fabulous week.

Copyright © 2023, 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

Title: When they are overreaching| Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones
Date: November 15, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 26

“Two years later, when Absalom's sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king's sons to come there. Absalom went to the king and said, "Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his officials please join me?" "No, my son," the king replied. "All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you." Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go, but gave him his blessing.” (2Sam 13:23-25NIV)

It is a natural thing for those who love us or who hold us very highly in their hearts to always look for opportunities to do things that will make us happy. And it will only be proper for us at such times to cheerfully and willingly accept the tokens of their love for us, regardless of how little they may seem. That is because it will show that we accept them as they are and are not ashamed of associating with them, though they may not be as wealthy, educated, influential or spiritual as we are.

However, there are times that such people may actually be overreaching in their attempt to make us happy or satisfy us. And it will only be wise and kind of us to prevent them from making us an unnecessary burden to them. Otherwise, in trying to make us happy, they may end up putting themselves in some avoidable problems. Are we, then, going to be happy to learn that the reason someone who loves and adores us is in a big financial, marital or social mess is that he wanted to please us? We will not at all, if we have any iota of human feeling.

A friend of mine was once very angry with me because of something along this line. What happened? Well, there was this particular bible that she had told me that she would love to have. So, I wanted to surprise her with it on her birthday. But I didn’t have enough money at the time to do so because of some commitments I had. So, I talked to a friend of mine to lend me part of the money for like a week or so. Unfortunately, somehow, she overheard us. And it got her very upset. She was like, “I understand that you are trying to make me happy here. But you did not have to do that. You did not have to borrow to make me happy.” Now, of course, we later resolved the matter. 

But I learnt my lesson, which is that those who truly care about you will not want to receive things from you, just because doing so will make them happy; they will also be concerned about what making them happy will cost you. Will it cost you your happiness? Will it cost you your job? Will it cost you your marriage? Or is it your reputation or life savings that it will cost you? They will be concerned about this and will do whatever they can to stop you from embarrassing yourself because of them. That, of course, is the main message of our opening bible text. 

Absalom was throwing a party for his sheepshearers and requested that his father, King David, and all his officials would be present there. But his father told him that he and his officials would not be attending the party. Why? Was it because he did not love Absalom or appreciate his generous invitation? No! He loved him and also appreciated his invitation. In fact, we are told in the account that he gave him his blessing.Why, then, did he insist that he and his men would not be coming? It was because he knew that their presence at the party would be a great burden for the young man. We are talking about taking care of the king and his high officials along with their servants and guards. 

The money and the logistics involved could be financially paralysing for him. And David did not want him to go bankrupt because of them. So, he simply gave him his blessing and told him not to worry about him and his officials.We too must be like that. We must be sensitive to people’s true conditions and not allow them to paralyse themselves because they want to please us or make us happy. Otherwise, once the harm is done, nothing we do may be sufficient in healing those involved.Then I want you to also keep in mind the fact that it is not every time that people give us the impression that they want to do something in our honour or to make us happy that they really want to make us happy.

 As we see in Absalom’s case, he really did not want David and his men to attend his party. That was because he already had plans of using the party as a cover-up for assassinating his elder brother, Amnon. And the presence of the king and his officials would not have made that possible. So, asking the king and his officials to grace his party was all pretence, something simply done to massage their ego. He already knew that they would not agree to come.

So, don’t ever assume that everyone that is giving you the impression that he will sacrifice himself to make you happy is actually willing to do so. They may just be flattering you and expecting you to stop them. But if you foolishly rest on their words, you will only have yourself to blame when those words break or shatter under you, leaving you injured and disgraced.Finally, it is important that we too are not overreaching in our attempts to make anyone in our lives happy. 

Otherwise, we may end up putting unnecessary and paralysing burdens on ourselves because of them. And are we going to be able to freely talk about the harm we have done to ourselves then? Not verry likely!So, know those things that are beyond your ability to give to people or do for them. And know the people that you have no true intention or ability to entertain and never insist that they visit you or be a part of something you are doing, just because you want to show them how much you respect them or because you want to use them to enhance your prestige. You may end up embarrassing yourself and feeling terrible for the rest of your life, if your best ends up not satisfying them or making them happy. Be wise.
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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

He sees you | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 12, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 28

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of November 2023. My prayer is that God will vindicate you wherever you are being cheated or unjustly treated and also secure for you every good thing that is yours that others are keeping from you. Amen.

One of the things we learn from the bible story of Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant, is that there is no one God does not care about. And because He cares about every one of us in the world, He is always watching our lives to see what is going on there and to make everything work together for our good. But we need to be conscious of this, so that we will put our trust in Him totally and not give ourselves to any form of wickedness that will hinder the fulfilment of His good purpose in our lives.

As the story Hagar goes, her mistress, Sarah, at some point had taken her to her husband, Abraham, so that he would sleep with her. Why? They were desperate about having a child of their own. And even though God had promised to give them one, Sarah felt that time was running out for her. So, she brought Hagar into the situation, thinking that any child she bore for her husband would be adopted as her own child. (Cf. Gen 16:1-3)

Now everything seemed to be going well for all of them until Hagar became pregnant. When she realized that she had become pregnant, she began to despise Sarah, her mistress. That means pride took over her life and she stopped showing her mistress proper respect. Why? She probably thought it was her turn to take over and become the mistress of the house.

Unfortunately for her, Abraham had no intention of allowing any spoilt girl to ruin his marriage, even if that spoilt girl was carrying his child. So, when Sarah reported Hagar to him, he told her to deal with her as she thought best. And she dealt with her so harshly that she ran away from the house. But who was to blame more for what happened to her? She was to blame more. She was the one that abused the privilege she was given to share her mistress’ husband with her. She was the source of her own misery. (Cf. Gen 16:4-6)

Nevertheless, while she was running away, the Lord found her and spoke comforting words to her. Look at some of the things said about this in the bible: “The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered. Then the angel of the LORD told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.”” (Gen 16:7-10NIV)

Can you see that even though Hagar knew where she was coming from at that time, she did not know where she was going in particular? She just felt that she needed to run away from her mistress. But the Lord told her that running away from her mistress was not the solution to her problem. The solution to her problem was for her to get rid of the pride in her and go back and submit to her mistress. Why? If she did not get rid of the pride in her, she would not stop doing things that would make those who loved her drive her away from them.

Then, to let her know that God cared about her, even though she was a slave, He told her that He would multiply her descendants on the face earth, so much so that no one would be able to count them. Not only that, God went on to tell her some secrets about the future of the son that she was going to have. That was so that she would not allow her position as a slave at that time to make her lose hope. (Cf. Gen 16:12)

Now did Hagar do as she was instructed by the Lord or not? She did! Not only that, she named the well where God had appeared to her ‘Beer Lahai Roi’, which means ‘the well of the Living One who sees me’. And do you know that this same Living One sees you too, regardless of how bad things may seem for you and regardless of what brought you to where you are? Not only does He see you, He also has solutions to whatever challenges you are facing. He knows where you should and the secrets of your future. You just need to listen to what He has to say to you and be ready to act on it. Then every form of hopelessness will leave you too and you will be on your way to fully experiencing His good purpose for your life.

Have a great week.

Copyright © 2023, 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)