Author: Pastor J.O. Lawal

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Fire in my Bones General Post Youth for Jesus

Title: Make your work very good too
By: J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: April 19, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 49

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…” (Gen 1:31NIV)

Why are we taught in Scriptures to imitate God? It is because we can do so. If we could not imitate God, we would not be told to do so. But because we have been created in His image and after His likeness, we have what it takes to imitate Him. And that is exactly why we are told to do so. (Cf. Gen 1:27; Eph 4:24; Eph 5:1)

Now in what ways are we to imitate God? We actually have several instructions in Scriptures pointing us to ways in which we are to imitate Him. But the one I want to draw your attention to has to do with the way we handle our work. How, then, are we to imitate God in the way we handle our work? Or what exactly are we to imitate in the way God handles His work?

As we see in the book of Genesis, everything God made in the beginning was good, perfect and flawless. In fact, in our opening bible text, we are told that when God was done with all His work in the beginning, He Himself testified that all that He had done was very good. And why was His work very good? It was very good because He Himself is a good God. So, He cannot do anything that will not fully communicate His goodness or carry the trademark of His excellency.

That being the case, we too, who are God’s children and creation, must learn to function with the same mentality. We must continually say to ourselves, “I am God’s child and creation. So, I cannot do anything that will not fully communicate the goodness and excellency of God my Father.” And until we begin to function with this mindset, we will not stop handling our jobs and anything else that we lay our hands on anyhow.

When God started the work of creation, His focus was not to create a universe that He would have to come around to repair every now and then. Rather, His focus was to create a universe that would have all that it would need to transform itself with ever-increasing glory. That is why He has never had to repair the sun, the moon or any of the stars. And none of them has ever failed to live up to expectations.

Also, observed that God has never had to put any new thing here on earth since He created it in the beginning. Why? It is because He put in it right from the beginning everything that we would need to make it a wonder. So, we are the ones to do the investigating and searching. We are the ones to labour to find out the things He has placed here on earth to beautify it and make it most enjoyable for us. And ever since some of us have been doing that, we have been finding the earth to be more and more interesting to live in.

You can see, then, that when God judged all His works as very good, He was not overrating Himself. He did a very good creation job in the beginning. And whatever mess we are seeing in the world right now was not made by Him but by us through our sins and various scheming. (Cf. Ecc 7:29)

In any case, I said all of that to show you what we ought to imitate in God about our work. And that has to do with making the works of our hands very good too. In other words, just like God, whenever we are done with anything, we should be able to tell ourselves that what we have done is very good and will truly serve the purpose for which we have done it. But our works will not be very good, if our goal is not to make them very good. No, our works will not be very good, if our minds have not been renewed to embrace the fact that we were originally created by God to do good works and that everything we do must bear testimony to this fact, whether it is spiritual or natural. (Cf. Eph 2:10)

Look, doing things that are not good, things that are substandard, things that are of low quality and things that will not fully serve the purpose for which they are done is contrary to our nature and also to the will of God for us. In fact, we should consider it shameful and beneath us to do such things. So, if you are a child of God, you need to cleanse yourself of every culture of doing things anyhow, of doing things that will make those who are going to use them mad or upset with you.

Yes, sometimes, it is people that will compel you to go below what you know to be good and acceptable because they want something cheap. Yet they are the ones that will go about ridiculing your work as substandard or worthless. So, don’t allow anybody to kill the goodness of your work because of money. That is because it is not a must that you serve everyone. If you have to serve anyone, then, be sure to take from them what will make you serve them well. That way, the goodness of your work or service will by itself continually speak for you. And you will be proved to be a true child of God, your Father, whose eternal goal is to always make everything very good.

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

Spread the good news | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 16, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 50

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to another week of the month of April 2023. My prayer is that God will continually find you useful in spreading the good news of His Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

As we see in the bible, one of the reasons many were blessed through the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ was that those who had blessed by Him kept on spreading the good news to those around them and everywhere they went. For instance, after Jesus had cured a mad man of his madness, He said this to him: “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:19NIV) And did this man go or not? He went. The bible says, “So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.” (Mark 5:20NIV)

Now the same thing is expected of us. As the Lord is feeding us with His word, changing our lives and doing all kinds of wonderful things for us in this assembly, we are supposed to be spreading the news of His goodness to us everywhere. Why? It is so that those who hear us may also be inspired to join us in experiencing His goodness.

Do you know that even those whom the Lord ordered not to speak about Him to anyone still spread the news of His goodness everywhere they went? Luke, for example, shares this with us about what happened after Jesus had healed a man that was leprous:

“Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”” (Luke 5:14-16NIV)

Did you see that? Even though the Lord clearly ordered this leprous man not to tell anyone about Him, the man would not keep quiet about the matter. Instead, like others whom He had healed before, this man too went about and spoke freely to others about Him and what He had done for him. And the result was that many more people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

Was it right for that man to disobey the Lord Jesus the way he did? No! In Mark’s account of the same incident, he makes it clear that this man’s disobedience made it impossible for Jesus to enter any place without creating commotion. So, his disobedience caused more organisation problems for the Lord. But this man did not think he was doing anything wrong at the time. He just felt that he would be selfish to keep from others the truth about the man that had healed him and made him whole. (Cf. Mark 1:40-45)

In any case, this man, who was commanded by the Lord not to tell anyone about Him, reasoned that it would be selfish of him not to indeed tell anyone about Him. Would it, then, not be even more selfish of us not to spread the news of His goodness to us, we who have not received from Him any such command? It certainly would be selfish of us.

So, if you have been experiencing the goodness and power of God in your life since you have joined this assembly, it is selfish of you to keep everything to yourself and not to spread the news to others. Of course, if you could prove that you have not been experiencing the goodness and power of God since you joined us, then, we would understand, if you are reluctant to spread the news. That would be because there is no news to spread. But if you can’t prove that (and I am sure you cannot), you need to begin to spread the news of what God is doing for you and to you in our meetings to those around. That way, they too will be able to join us to experience the goodness of God in their lives.

Now I want you to know that God is counting on you to do this. And He will surely reward your faithfulness in leading others to Him to experience salvation, healing, deliverance and transformation. So, take this matter seriously. May your heart be strengthened to act accordingly, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a splendid 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 General Post Youth for Jesus

Title: A time not to receive| By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: April 12, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 48

But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants?”” (2Kings 5:26NIV)

Those were Elisha’s words to his servant, Gehazi, after the latter had run after Naaman the Syrian to take some gifts from him, gifts that his master had initially rejected. And from what this man of God said to him, we can tell that there is a time to receive gifts and there is a time not to receive gifts. Remember that Solomon says there is time for everything, a season for every activity under the sun. And it is only when things are done at the right time that they are beautiful. (Cf. Ecc 3:1-11)

Gehazi received gifts from Naaman at a wrong time. And he and his descendants became carriers of the leprosy that had left the man. But what made it wrong for him to receive gifts from that man at that time? At least, from what we see in the bible, people had brought Elisha, Gehazi’s master, gifts in the past and he had collected them (2Kings 4:42). Why then did he refuse to collect Naaman’s gifts on that occasion, even though they were most likely of more value than any of the gifts he may have received in the past?

Well, the simple reason Elisha would not collect those gifts from Naaman was that he wanted him to know that his healing was a gift from God and that there was nothing he could give to pay for it. Jesus said this to His disciples concerning the healing authority He had given them: “Freely you have received, freely give.” So, when someone’s gift to us will constitute a payment for the gift of God, that is a time not to receive. And if we foolishly or arrogantly receive what they are offering, we, like Gehazi, may just end up becoming bearers of the problems God has solved in their lives.

Also, when someone’s gift to us will result in unwarranted boasting from them or make them want to assume the place of God in our lives, that is a time not to receive gifts. After Abraham had saved the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their allies from their enemies and recovered their possessions for them, the king of Sodom told him to keep all the possessions he brought back and give him only his people. But Abraham said ‘No’ to his offer. (Cf. Gen 14:1-21)

Why did Abraham refuse that king’s offer? According to him, it was because the man one day would most likely say, “I made Abraham rich.” And would that be true? No! God had already blessed him and given him great riches. So, there was nothing anybody could add to his life to make him rich or great. But if he kept taking gifts from everyone every time, it would not be long before some people would start putting themselves in God’s place in His life. And that would be his fault.

In like manner, if you do not want to give anyone a reason to try to dethrone God in your life, know when to receive gifts from people and when not to receive gifts from them. There are people who love to boast about every little thing they do for others, even when God could have used a thousand and one different people to do the same thing. Mark such people and take from them only payments for goods sold to them or services rendered to them. Otherwise, you may someday be shocked to find out they have been taken credit for what God has done in your life.

Then when someone’s gift is intended to buy favour, that is another time not to accept gifts. Gifts intended to curry favour are nothing but a bribe. And the bible says, “A bribe is a charm that blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.” So, watch out for those who may someday want to twist your mind with their gifts and be ready to politely refuse their so-called generosity. Otherwise, the price you will pay for what they are giving you today may be your very life. (Cf. Exodus 23:8; Deut 16:19; Prov 17:18)

When Jacob offered his brother Esau gifts years after they had parted, he would not accept them from him. Instead, he told him to keep his gifts for himself because he had enough. And Jacob had to plead with him again and again before he accepted them. Why did Esau respond that way? It was because he found it embarrassing that his own brother would want to pay him not to harm him. And if Esau, a man that the bible describes as godless, had enough sense to know when not to receive gifts, even from his own blood, we who are children of God have no excuse not to gain enough spiritual sense to know when to receive gifts and when not to receive them.

You will do well, then, to pay close attention to the truths I have brought you from Scriptures on this matter and be determined to apply them to your life. That may just be the difference between life and death for you someday. 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

Where is your excitement? | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 09, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 49

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to another week of the month of April 2023. My prayer is that the joy of the Lord will continually overflow your life in the week and all through the remaining part of the year. Amen.

Now, as you already know, Christians all over the world are today celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. And isn’t that a good thing? It is a good thing. I mean that is not bad at all to set aside a day to sensitise the people of the world about the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ and the significance of these things. So, happy Easter to you, if you are joining in the celebration.

However, what God wants from us is more than that. What He wants from us is to daily remind ourselves of the significance of what Jesus did for us and to joyfully give ourselves to serving Him because of it. That is one the reasons the bible tells us that the kingdom of God is not about righteousness and peace alone but also about the joy that the Holy Spirit gives (Rom 14:17).

Unfortunately, many of God’s people today hardly exhibit joy in giving their worship or service to Him. The only time some of them express any form of joy or happiness at all in matters relating to God is when songs of praise or thanksgiving are being rendered in their church meetings. Apart from then, there is nothing else they do for God that comes with excitement or joy. They are not excited to pray. They are not excited to give. They are not excited to receive the word of God. And they are not excited to invite anyone to taste the goodness of God with them. Instead, whatever they do for God is often associated with murmuring.

Why? The main reason is that they are not excited about their fellowship with God. When people are excited about knowing God and being in fellowship with Him, there is nothing they will do for Him that will not be with joy. They will even die for Him with joy. Look at the apostles of old. We are told in the bible of a time that they were beaten for preaching the gospel and yet they went home rejoicing that they were counted worthy of suffering shame because of the name of Jesus. Why did they act like that? They were excited about their fellowship with God and with His Son Jesus Christ. (Cf. Acts 5:40-41)

Also, we are told in the bible that when Jesus called Levi the Tax collector to follow Him, he was so excited about his call that he threw a party for Him (Luke 5:27-28). What about Zacchaeus? How did he respond to the visit of the Lord to his house? It was with great excitement (Luke 19:1-10). Then we have a psalmist speak of his excitement about God in these words: “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”” (Psalm 122:1NKJV)

Now it is those who are excited about God and anything that concerns Him in that manner that He will continually reveal Himself to and also build up to do all kinds of good works (John 14:21). So, if God is not revealing more and more of Himself to you and is not doing anything to bless others through you, you need to check yourself to see if you have been excited about Him. And if you are not excited about Him, you are definitely excited about some other things. Yes, if you are not excited to serve God and live for Him, there is definitely something else or someone else you are excited to serve and live your life for. But will it be worth it after all?

Look at what Moses said to the children of Israel on this matter: “Because you did not serve the LORD your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you.” (Deut 28:47-48NIV) Did you see that? Those who will not serve God with excitement and joy will ultimately serve Satan and his host in pains and sorrow. I pray your situation will not end like that. But if you see that you are not excited or passionate about God at all or anymore, you should get on your knees and pray that your passion and excitement for Him will be restored without delay. And your voice will be heard. Amen.

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

Be observant | By: J.O. Lawal. | Date: April 05, 2023 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 47

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up — one on one side, one on the other — so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.” (Ex 17:10-13NIV)

When Joshua led the nation of Israel to fight the Amalekites, as we see in our opening bible text, Moses also went with Aaron and Hur to the top of a hill to view the battle. But soon enough, Aaron and Hur observed that Moses was not just there to look at how bravely their men would fight. Rather, he was there to intercede on behalf of those men so that they would win the battle.

How did Aaron and Hur know this? It was by being observant. As the account shows us, when they got to the top of the hill, they could see that Moses was holding up his hands. And I am sure they must have initially felt that he was just blessing the men to win the victory. But as they stayed longer on the hill with him, they realised that he was not bringing down his hands at all – he simply continued to hold them up. That was when they began to pay attention to the significance of what he was doing.

Now what they did they discover? They discovered that as long Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he grew tired and lowered them, the Amalekites were winning. That, of course, showed them that what Moses was doing was spiritual. Truly, he did not open his mouth to pray out. But he was actually in a position of intercession for his people to win that battle by lifting up his hands towards the throne of God.

See, Moses himself was observant and spiritually sensitive to what was going on at that time. He had sensed in his spirit that offering some minutes of prayer or words of blessings for Israel’s army would not be sufficient on that occasion. He would need to intercede for them from start to finish, if they would win that battle. And that was exactly what he intended to do. He intended to keep his hands up with a heart of intercession till the job was done.

In like manner, there are times that we need to stay in a spirit of prayer or intercession till some problems are once for all solved. For example, some people have had certain problems come and go in their lives for years or decades. When these problems show up and they pray about them, they will disappear. But once they have some days or weeks of relief, the problems will show up again.

Such problems are just like the Amalekites Moses battled with. And hands must be steadily raised in prayers and intercessions until they are permanently solved or crushed. But we need to be observant and spiritually sensitive to know situations of our lives that require such approach. Otherwise, such situations will not stop irritating us.

Moses was observant and spiritually sensitive enough to know that he would have to pray from start to finish in order to defeat the Amalekites. And he gave himself to doing just that. But then, at some point, as it was to be expected of any human being, his strength began to fail him. The battle was hot. He probably did not anticipate that it would take as long as it did to defeat the Amalekites. But that was the reality. The enemy was not giving up. And though he had access to God’s power to defeat them, his human strength was already failing him. What was he going to do?

Well, thankfully, the men he took with him were also observant and spiritually sensitive. So, they were quick to do the maths and decide how to respond to what was happening. And how did they respond? They found a stone for Moses to sit on, when he grew tired, and each of them held each of his hands up till Joshua won the battle. Praise God!

We too need such people around us. Yes, we need people that are spiritually sharp and sensitive in our lives as our closest companions. Otherwise, when we are faced with Amalek, they may not know that we are losing until we finally lose a battle that we could actually win. So, don’t just keep people as friends for the sake of doing so. Instead, keep as friends people of great spiritual substance that will be able to recognise your hour of need and give you adequate support in it.

Then you too should be that kind of person to those in your life. Be one that is not just looking out for himself but for others as well. Otherwise, if some trouble should come for those in your life, you will not know a thing until it has destroyed them. And if all the good people in your life should end up being destroyed in that manner, who would be there for you in your own hour of need? So, wake up and stop being insensitive to the needs of others. And may the Spirit of God enable you to do the right thing. Amen.

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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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Face the fact | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: March 29, 2023 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 46

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram’s herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.” (Gen 13:5-7NIV)

Why did quarrelling arise between Abraham’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen? It was because the place they were staying could not support the two family-groups. Lot, as we are told in our opening text, had been moving around with Abraham, his uncle. And in the process, he too had grown tremendously in wealth. That being the case, Abraham should have anticipated that at some point there would be clashes of interests, if he allowed him to continue to stay with him.

But somehow, maybe out of blood sentiments, Abraham would not readily face the fact that it was time for Lot to be independent and go his own way to establish his household and generation. So, they continued to stay together in the same place, even though it was becoming more and more glaring that the place they were was too small to support both of them and their possessions. And because they would not face the reality about their situation and deal with it, at some point, quarrelling broke out between their workers.

Now it is possible that those workers had been trying to keep their cool about the fact that the resources where they were could no longer support the two groups and that they both had to just tolerate each other. And that would be because they would not want to be the reason their masters, who were both relatives and who had been living together in harmony for years, would quarrel and become enemies. But that, evidently, did not take away the problem. That did not handle the fact that each family-group was simply trying to tolerate the other in using the resources available where they were.

A time came, however, when these two groups of workers could no longer hide their resentments and frustration. So, they let everything out and made it clear that, all along, they had just been trying to tolerate themselves in using the space and resources available to them where they were staying. And that was when Abraham realised that he had to face the fact about the situation and allow himself and Lot to part company, when they were still at peace with each other. Otherwise, the matter would grow worse and their parting then would most likely leave each of them with bitterness and pains.

What is the point of this? It is that when there is a need for us to make some changes in handling our relationships with others, we should do so and not allow sentiments to prevent us from doing the needful. Otherwise, what we are trying to prevent from happening may eventually happen and we may no longer be able to control its impart or outcome.

For example, it may be okay and very pleasant for you and a friend to be staying together as single brothers or sisters. But you need to accept the fact that, at some point, the circumstances of your life will not support your staying together. And if you are not prepared to do the needful before that day comes, though you are now good friends, you may end up becoming bitter enemies.

Or it may be okay for you to partner in business with a friend or a sibling when you are not married or when you are not occupying certain positions in life. But when some situations or circumstances change or begin to change in your life or in the life of that person, you need to face the reality about the impart this change will have on your lives and relationship and be immediate in doing the needful. Otherwise, what you are trying to protect or save may end up being lost.

The same thing is applicable to marriage relationships and the relationships between parents and their children. There are circumstances of life that will naturally affect these relationships, whether we like it or not. And how we handle the invasion or gradual introduction of these circumstances into our lives is what will determine whether they end up being a blessing to us or a curse.

For example, there are marriages that have been on fire since one of the couples got a promotion at work or got a better paying job. And there are parents that have been having serious issues with their children since those children crossed their teenage years. Is getting promoted a bad thing? No! But promotion can change a whole lot of things about someone. And if those in their lives will not face that reality, that promotion may end up being a curse to all of them.

Also, is crossing the teenage year a bad thing for any child? No! Every parent wants their children to grow up and become responsible in life. And all sane children also want the same things for themselves. But anyone who has crossed the teenage years is no longer a child but an adult. And if he and his parents are not ready to accept this fact and relate accordingly, they may end up being estranged for life, even though they have been best of friends before.

My point, at any rate, is that as your life’s circumstances and those of the people in your life are changing, face the reality about this change and be prepared to change accordingly. But if you allow sentiments to get in the way, the problem you want to avoid may end up coming up when and where you will have no answer for it. So, mind yourself.

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

Be true and honest in your worship | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 02, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 48

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you into a new month, the month of April 2023. My prayer is that God will cause you to increase tremendously in all good and profitable things in the month, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, as we begin this new month, I want to enjoin you to make up your mind to be devoted to giving God true and honest worship. Why? First, it is because it is those who will give Him true and honest worship that He is seeking. Jesus says, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24NIV)

Did you see that? It is not everyone that draws near to God to worship Him that He accepts their worship. Rather, it is only those whose hearts are fully involved in their worship and who are truthful to Him in all that they do for Him that He accepts their worship. They are, in fact, the ones He is seeking to reveal Himself and His power to.

In 2Chronicles, chapter 16, verse 9, we are told this: “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…” (NKJV) Think carefully about that. God is always on the lookout for those whose hearts are loyal or faithful to Him. Why? It is so that He can demonstrate His power on their behalf. So, if you are not daily witnessing the demonstration of God’s power in your life, even in seemingly little things of life, you may want to check yourself if you are truly loyal to Him, if He is the one your heart is always resting on for everything you need or want to get done.

See, those whose hearts are not loyal to God are simply wasting their worship (Mark 7:6-7). In other words, their worship is in vain and cannot be rewarded by God. Was Cain rewarded by God for the offering he brought to him? No! Or did God consider the effort he put into what he did and so overlook the fact that his heart was not right? No! Instead, everything he did was judged by God to be a waste. And that is how it will be for everyone whose heart is not loyal in their worship of God. All that they are doing will be treated as nothing but a waste. (Cf. Gen 4:3-7)

Another reason it is important you give God true and honest worship is that there is danger in not doing so. We are given the account of the death of a man called Ananiah and his wife Sapphira in Acts of the Apostles, chapter 5. Why did they die untimely the way they did? It was because their hearts were not loyal to God. They brought deceit into their worship and were instantly judged for it.

Now someone may not be judged by God instantly for not being loyal to Him in his worship. That does not mean that he will not be judged at some point. It may be that the cup of his disloyalty is not yet full. It may be that God is giving him time to repent. Or it may even be that certain people are interceding for him and asking God to show him mercy. But God will not stay still forever and not judge disloyal worshippers, if they will not repent. At some point, He will deal with them as their disloyalty deserves, so that others can learn from them.

So, if your heart is not fully with God in your worship, you need to humble yourself now and deal with the disloyalty or deceit in it, when there is still time for you to do so. That way, you will not end up wasting all that you are doing in the name of worshiping Him or expose yourself to His judgment. And my prayer is that God, in His mercy, will take care of every form of imperfection in your worship of Him, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

Ever since I have known you | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: March 26, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 47

Beloved: grace and peace be yours without measure from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I give thanks to God for safely bringing us into the last week of this month, the month of March 2023. And I pray that He will also succeed in making our lives all that He intends them to be, according to His good purpose, in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Now one may wonder if God can truly fail in accomplishing what He desires in people’s lives. But the word of God shows us that God can actually fail in fulfilling His good purpose in a man’s life. Why? It is because the fulfilment of God’s good purpose in our lives does not depend on God alone; it also depends on us. Yes, the fulfilment of His purpose in our lives also depends on our response to the word of His grace.

The bible says God’s word of grace is able to build us up and deliver our inheritance in Christ Jesus to us (Acts 20:32). But His word will not automatically build us up, if we do not humble ourselves to accept it and to act accordingly. Also, His word will not make us possess and enjoy our inheritance in Christ, if we will not wholeheartedly embrace and practise it.

For example, as we are further shown in the bible, even though God brought the Israelites out of Egypt with the sole purpose of taking them into a land flowing with milk and honey, He could not bring many of them into it. Why? It was because of their attitude towards His word. Most of them did not take His word coming to them seriously. And their attitude towards His word was so bad that Moses once said to them, “You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you.” (Deut 9:24NIV)

Now think carefully about that. Moses pastored these people for about forty years or so and taught them everything they needed to know about the will God. Yet his testimony about them was they had always been rebellious and unwilling to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. So, for forty years, those people heard the word of God but refused to accept it or be changed by it. No wonder they never mature spiritually. No wonder most of them never made it to the land of their inheritance.

Unfortunately, many of God’s people today are not much different from these Israelites that Moses pastored. Though they have been in the church for years, they have refused to humble themselves before God’s word. So, if their leaders would testify about them, they also would most likely say, “You have been rebellious ever since I have known you,” or “You have been an adulterer ever since I have known you,” or “You have been stingy and selfish ever since I knew you.”

Perhaps this is the case with you. Perhaps it is this kind of bad testimony that your leader has to give about you. The word of God is coming to you again and saying, “You don’t have to continue like this, when you can repent and be set right.” And if you will listen to what He is saying to you and humble yourself and repent of your errors, He will forgive you and cleanse you of all your unrighteousness. Then His good purpose will begin to fully find expression in your life.

But if you refuse to listen to what God is saying to you and continue in your path of rebellion, pride, immorality, selfishness, stinginess or laziness, then, know that you can go on like that for the remaining days of your life and never become the person God wants you to be or enjoy the things He wants you to enjoy in this life. My prayer is that your heart will be rid of any form of stubbornness that is keeping you from yielding yourself to God and His good word that is coming to you. Amen.

Have a blessed 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

A culture of making excuses | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: March 22, 2023 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 45

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’” (Matt 25:24-25NIV)

If we are ever going to become the persons God wants us to be and accomplish anything tangible in this life, one of the things we must rid our lives of is a culture of making excuses. An elderly friend once told me something a senior colleague had told him about excuses. And what was it? It was that excuses don’t move the work forward; excuses don’t get anything worthwhile done.

Now is that not true? Is it not true that excuses don’t get anything worthwhile done? It is true. So, don’t train yourself to be making excuses for not doing what you are supposed to do. Otherwise, you may end up keeping yourself stagnant for life.

As we see in our opening bible text, one servant that was given a huge sum of money to work with by his master only had excuses to give him, when he called him in to give an account of his service. His master, as the story goes, had gone on a long journey after giving him and two other servants of his huge sums of money to do business with. But while others went straightaway to put their money to work and profit with it, he was busy occupying himself with irrelevancies. (Cf. Matt 25:14-25)

Therefore, when his master came back and begun to question him about the money given to him, he lost no time at all to present his excuses. But he had months or perhaps years to work with what he was given. Why did he do nothing with it? Why was he comfortable playing around and doing nothing that his master would consider significant? The answer is simple. This man had no intention of working at all with what he was given. That was why, as his master pointed out, he did not even consider putting the money with him in a bank, so that he would receive it back with interest.

Now if you had ever dealt with people who have a culture of making excuses, you would have observed that they hardly use their heads. And don’t miss my point here. I am not saying that they are stupid. No, they are not. They are just people who usually don’t want to use their brains to get anything serious done well. So, while they are making excuses for their failure, non-performance or poor performance, what they could have done differently will be obvious to you. And you will be left wondering why they could not see something as obvious as that.

Well, the problem is that when someone has a culture of making excuses, it will rob him of initiatives. That is because instead of training his mind to solve problems, he will be training it to make excuses. Therefore, it does not matter how simple the task you give him is, he will surely find himself an excuse to fail at it or to defend his failure in handling it. And such a person has nowhere important to get to in life. He can only expect to daily diminish in relevance.

As we see in the case of the servant mentioned above, when his master would judge him, he called him lazy, unprofitable and wicked. Then he asked that the money with him be given to another person, who had shown himself profitable, and that he be thrown into a place of suffering. And that is the kind of sentence anyone who has a culture of making excuses can expect to receive from both man and God. (Cf. Matt 25:26-30)

So, if unconsciously or consciously you have been training yourself to make excuses instead of training yourself to get results in whatever you are meant to do, it won’t be long before you gain a reputation for being lazy, unprofitable and wicked at work, in your home, in your school, in the church or wherever you find yourself. Then all the people who could have done you good and help you rise in life will start withdrawing themselves and their favours from you.

Now that will be terrible for you, won’t it? It will. So, shape up and rid yourself of the evil mentality of making excuses for failure. And may God strengthen you to do so, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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 relent | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: March 19, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 46

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to another week of the month of March. My prayer is that God will always strengthen you in every good word and deed, so that you will not be unprofitable in any way. Amen.

One of the things that are abundantly made clear to us in Scriptures is that we must not relent in generosity. That is because God will surely reward us for it. For example, writing to the Galatians, Paul says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Gal 6:9NIV) Did you see that? If it is not possible for us to become weary in doing good, we will not be given this instruction. If situations that could make us become weary in doing good do not exist, we will not be told not to become weary in doing good.

But such situations exist. Look at the challenges we are facing in the country, for instance. Fuel price has terribly gone up. There is scarcity of cash to spend everywhere. We also have to daily deal with epileptic power supply. And these things are causing prices of goods and services to increase daily, even though the money many are making is not increasing.

Now because of these things, many who have been generous to God and men before are drawing back and using the situation as their excuse for not being generous again. And if those who have been generous can act like that, how do you expect those who have never been generous to act? Well, the word of God has anticipated that things that can make us relent in generosity can happen. That is why it tells us not to become weary in doing so. Why? It is because at the right time God will reward us for all our acts of generosity. He will not overlook or forget any one of them.

So, if you have been drawing back on giving to the people in your life, you need to renew your devotion to doing so. And if you have been drawing back on giving for the work of God and to the people feeding you with His word, you need to renew your devotion to doing so. Otherwise, you will be cheating yourself of all the benefits of doing so. Remember that you cannot reap what you have not sowed. So, if you refuse to plant because you think your seed is not much and you eat up everything, you will surely have nothing to reap at the time of harvest.

This, I believe, is what Paul has in mind when he says the following to the Corinthians about their giving:

“And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.” (2Cor 8:10-12NIV)

From what Paul says here, it is clear that the Corinthian brethren had once been devoted to giving generously to support other churches of God in need. In fact, this apostle says that they were not only eager to give but also prompt in doing so. But at some point, for some reasons we would not know, they began to draw back in generosity and would not complete what they started.

Therefore, Paul had to address them in his letter about the matter and told them it is not enough for one to express willingness to give; you also have to match up that willingness by actually giving according to your means. And as he furthers points out, as long as the willingness is there, whatever we give will be accepted by God based on what we have and not what we do not have.

So, as long as you have something, be sure you are giving out of it instead of making excuses. That is because God will not reward your excuses but your obedience to His word. My prayer, then, is that you will never find yourself in a position in life in which you will be so empty that you will have nothing to give, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a peaceful 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)