Author: Pastor J.O. Lawal

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Who have they been with?|By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: November 30, 2022|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 29

“Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned for his son every day. After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years.” (2Sam 13:37-38NIV)

One of the things that are abundantly made clear to us in the bible is that the things in it are written down to teach us, to impart wisdom for living to us (Rom 15:4; 1Cor 10:11). It is then up to us to either learn and gain wisdom from what they are teaching us or not to.

Now one of the things we are shown in Scriptures is that it is important we pay attention to the kinds of people the people in our lives are interacting with or keeping as close companions. Why? First, this is so that we will know when we need to move in and separate them from destructive relationships. Second, it is so that we will know when we ourselves need to be careful of them and not foolishly become victims of any ugly change that has occurred in their lives.

For example, we are given in the bible the account Absalom’s rebellion and how it so upset the nation that his father’s men had to engage him in a battle that resulted in his destruction. But how did this young man become a rebel? How come no one, not even Joab, Israel’s cunny general, suspected him? The simple reason was that they all failed to pay attention to where he had been and the people he had been with.

As we are shown in our opening bible verses, after Absalom had murdered his elder brother, Amnon, he fled to Talmai, king of Geshur. And who was Talmai to him? Talmai was his maternal grandfather. In other words, his mother, Maacah, was Talmai’s daughter. So, where he fled to was also home to him. (Cf. 2Sam 3:3)

But Talmai was a heathen king. How come David married the daughter of a heathen king? Was he not aware that God had spoken against such marriage relationships? He was. Or was he not aware that God had said that such marriage relationships would certainly corrupt His people? He was. He married a heathen woman anyway. And the woman gave him a son that was heathen in his soul too. So, when we deliberately ignore the word of God in order to do what is convenient for us, a day is coming when we will reap fully a harvest of the seed we have sowed. (Cf. Deut 7:3-4)

At any rate, after this heathen son of David had assassinated his own brother, he knew there was no hiding place for him in Israel. He knew that he would definitely be found out and killed, in accordance with the laws of the land (Num 35:16-21). So, he ran to his mother’s people. And they welcomed him and took care of him, showing that they did not see anything wrong with what he had done. “His brother raped his sister and he killed him to protect her honour. What could possibly be wrong with that?” they must have reasoned.

Well, having spent three years among these heathens, Absalom came back a worse man that he had been. He came with a hidden plan in his head to become king in place of his father. How did that thought enter his head? Who sowed this evil seed into his heart and made him believe in its possibility? We are not told these things in specific words in the bible. But since he carried out his coup-d’état after he came back from living with King Geshur, his grandfather, we can safely assume that the seed was sowed in his heart while he was living with him and his princes.

What is the point of all this? It is that where people have been and whom they have been with are very important in determining what to expect of them. Though there are times we may have exceptions. There are times that a Samuel can come out of the house of Eli and not be corrupted by Hophni and Phinehas. And there are also times that a Judas can come right out of the house of Jesus.

But in most cases, if people have been with Jesus, they would think, speak and act like Jesus (Acts 4:13). In like manner, if people have been with Hophni and Phinehas, they will most likely be given to corrupt and criminal tendencies. Yes, they may have been good people before, people that you could trust with your very life. But if they are already moving with corrupt people or if they have been away for a while with very corrupt people (thieves, swindlers, rapists, prostitutes or any ungodly person), don’t assume that they are still who they used to be to you.

See, few days of interaction with a wrong person can change a double-minded person forever. Therefore, regardless of how much you love or care for them, take very necessary precautions in your dealing with such people, at least, till you know what they are up to. This will be your wisdom. Otherwise, you may end up being fooled by another Absalom. And who knows whether, like David, you too will be able to escape?

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

They won’t ask or wait for your permission | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 27, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 30

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

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to another week of the year. My prayer is that your heart will be strengthened and humbled to allow God to fully take charge of your life, so that it is only His works and not Satan’s works that will be finding expression in it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

In Revelation, chapter 3, verse 20, John gives us this great outcry of our Lord Jesus to the church of the Laodiceans: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20NIV) Why would the Lord need to be knocking the door of any Christian’s life? Is He not our Lord? He is! And as our Lord, is He not supposed to be inside our lives and sitting over all our affairs? He is! Why, then, would He need our permission and cooperation to come in and fellowship with us in any area of our lives?

The reason is simple. The Lord does not force Himself on people. On the contrary, He allows them to think for themselves and decide whether they need Him in their lives or not and act accordingly. That explains why the whole world has not been saved. The Lord will not force His salvation on us. We will have to agree that we need salvation and that we cannot save ourselves from the things destroying us unless He saves us.

But then, it is one thing for us to come to the Lord for salvation, it is another thing for us to allow Him to utterly save us and to eternally keep us safe. And how will this be possible? It is by giving Him room to lead us in every area of our lives, not keeping any part away from Him. As God’s children, He is already living us, for we are His temple. However, that He is living in us does not mean that He is in charge of our lives and all our affairs. That He is living in us does not mean that He will not have to knock the door of certain areas of our lives to see if we will permit Him to take charge of them.

We all know ourselves. We all know whether we have given our Lord Jesus room to control us in every area of our lives or not. We all know those areas of our lives in which we have totally shut Him out because we don’t want to hear what He has to say to us about them or because we believe we can handle ourselves in them. What we may not know, however, is that our Lord Jesus did not die for us to be Lord only over a few areas of our lives. Rather, He died for us to be Lord over every area of our lives.

Also, our Lord Jesus did not rescue us from the devil and his hosts so that He could become Lord over just some areas of our lives. Rather, He rescued us so that He might become Lord over every area of our lives. Therefore, if we will not willingly permit Him to take charge of every area of our lives, if we are shutting Him out of our lives or some part of our lives, simply because He will not force Himself in, then, we can expect the enemies of our souls that He saved us from to seize the opportunity to come back into our lives and renew their works. And they will not knock or wait for our permission if they are coming in. They will just come right in, with or without our permission.

Look at what our Lord Jesus says about this: “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” (Matt 12:43-45NIV) Did you see that? The devil and his demons are always looking and checking out for where to rest. And the only reason they will not be able to make our lives or any area of our lives their home or resting place is for them to see that it is already occupied and governed by the Lord Jesus.

But if they should come around to examine our lives and find them or any part of them empty and unoccupied by the only one who has authority and power over them, they will not lose time at all to gather forces to take charge of that part of our lives. Then things can only get worse for us in that part of our lives. And if we still hesitate to allow the Lord to step in and take charge, it will not be long before the works of these evil beings spread to other areas of our lives.

Now perhaps this is the situation with you. Instead for things to get better in certain areas of your life where you are encountering challenges, they are not just getting worse but also beginning to affect other areas of your life that have been peaceful. Then you need to check yourself to see if you have not shut the Lord Jesus out of some of your affairs. And if that is the case, the only solution is for you to repent and open the door for Him without delay, so that He can do that which only He can do and restore your peace and joy. But if you remain adamant and insist on not allowing Him, then, be ready to welcome more of Satan’s works in your life and affairs with or without your permission.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2022, 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)

Categories
Fire in my Bones General Post Youth for Jesus

How much are you worth?|By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: November 23, 2022|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 28

“A man can hire a prostitute for the price of a loaf of bread…” (Prov 6:26GNT)

What is Solomon telling us here? Well, it is something many people are already aware of. And it is that the price to have a prostitute can be as low as a loaf of bread. In other words, just to have a loaf of bread to eat, there are ladies that will be ready to sleep with any man.

Now what such ladies don’t realise is that whatever price they accept, great or small, to give their bodies away to be defiled in this manner is what they are worth in their own eyes. Yes, that price represents the value they place on themselves. So, you who give yourself to be polluted by men because of a plate of food, a bowl of ice cream or a plate of fried rice and chicken are not worth more than that plate of fried rice and chicken in your own eyes.

This, of course, is not applicable to women alone but also to men. That is because there are young men as well that are ready to give their bodies to be defiled by any woman that is willing to give them money, buy food for them or give them some accommodation. These ones loiter from place to place, doing nothing tangible with their lives other than scout for women that will be willing to pay for their sex services. And what they also do not realise is that whatever they get from the nonsense they are doing represents nothing but all that they are worth in their own eyes.

But then, what I am talking about here goes beyond rewards of prostitution. See, any time we yield ourselves to do something that is obviously wrong because of monetary gain or some other forms of reward, we are merely declaring that we are not worth more than the reward we are getting. And it will amaze you what some people are worth in their own eyes. It will amaze you to know the price that some people are willing to receive to assassinate someone, pervert justice or lure a friend into a den of kidnappers or those who will use them for money rituals.

To say the fact, people take as low as N5,000 for these things. And I can’t dispute the fact that there might be those who will take even less and blame their desperation on poverty. Perhaps you too will take less than that amount to ruin your life or someone else’s life and destroy your soul hell. Who knows? God knows! You know!

But is there really anything in this world that comes any close in worth or value to what our souls are worth in the sight of God? Is there any price that we may be given in this world that is worth the destruction of our souls here in the world or in hell? There is none.

Our Lord Jesus, once while speaking to His disciples, said this: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt 16:26NIV) What does this mean? It means that even if this whole world were to be sold and its price presented for the redemption of a man’s soul from eternal destruction, it would not be enough. That is because a man’s soul is of much greater worth in the sight of God than the whole universe. And it is of much greater worth than the whole universe because while this whole universe as we know it will someday perish, man’s soul will always live on forever (Heb 1:10).

You can, then, see why our Lord Jesus would not bow to the devil when he offered Him all the kingdoms of this world and their glory. He knew that His soul was worth much more than all these things that would someday perish. So, He would not sell it just to have them. You can also see why the only payment that would do for our redemption from destruction was the sinless soul of a man, the man Jesus. (Cf. Ps 49:7-9; Luke 4:5-8; 1Tim 2:5-6)

So, stop undervaluing yourself before yourself and before others. You may not have all the resources you need or want at the moment. And you may not have yet attained the height you will want to attain in life. That still does not mean that you should sell your soul for peanuts, for the price of things that are bound to perish. What should keep in mind, instead, is the fact that the life of a man is not defined by the abundance of his possessions or by the position he is occupying. Rather, it is defined by what God says about it.

What God says about you, then, is what you should hold on to as the description of what your life is worth. And He is saying that you are worth the life of His only begotten Son, whom He sacrificed for you. So, take your place as His Son and inheritor of all that He possesses, things that can never perish, spoil or fade. And as long as you are living on this basis, you will never lose your mind or your soul for anything of this life.

Copyright © 2022, 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)

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

Despite their intercession | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 20, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 29

Beloved: welcome to another week of the month of November 2022. I pray that God will keep your heart form embracing any form of rebellion that may expose you to destruction without remedy, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The word of God says, “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed — without remedy.” (Prov 29:1NIV) Unfortunately, there are many stiff-necked people today, even in the church. These are individuals that are never ready to take correction. So, it does not matter what you say to them about their sins or wrongdoings, they will not repent. Some of them don’t even want to hear or look at what you want to say to them about their errors. And that is simply because they are stubborn, stiff-necked.

Now from what Solomon tells us in that bible text, the only thing such people can expect for their stubbornness is sudden destruction, a kind that has no remedy. That means there is nothing anyone will be able to do for them or do to save them when their destruction comes. They just have to perish.

Yes, it is true that God does not delight in the death of any sinner but in their repentance and salvation (Ezek 18:32). It is also true that He is patient with sinners, so that they will be able to utilise the opportunities for repentance that He is bringing to them (2Peter 3:9). But where the sinner is stiff-necked and unwilling to repent, what will God do? Will He continue to endure their nonsense? No! At some point, He will allow them to face the full consequences of their sins.

But then, someone may say, “What if there is an intercessor for the stiff-necked person, one that is praying for them that God may show them mercy? Will God still allow them to be destroyed?” Truly, God Himself has said that even if it just one intercessor that is praying for a sinner or an entire nation, He will honour that intercessor and refrain from destroying that nation (Ezel 22:30). And we have an example of this in how He listened to the intercession of Prophet Amos for the nation of Israel. Twice, this man of God pleaded with Him not to destroy Israel. And He listened to Him (Amos 7:1-6). Woe, then, to that man, woman or nation that has no one to intercede for her. That is because disaster may overtake her without warning.

However, even though God always honours the intercession of His people for sinners, if these sinners refuse to repent, a time will come when they will have to face the consequences of their sins. At that time, whatever intercession being made for them will fail and the destruction they have been escaping will come upon them suddenly and without remedy. For instance, despite his continuous intercession for the nation of Israel, at some point, God told Amos that He would no longer spare them – He must destroy them. Why? They were stiff-necked. (Cf. Amos 7:7-9)

Also, we see how Abraham fervently interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah in the bible. This man stood in the gap between them and God’s wrath, asking for mercy for them, even if it was only ten righteous people that could be found in them. And God listened to him. But did He find ten righteous people there? No! On the contrary, what He found was only a family of four righteous people. So, despite the intercession of Abraham, He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah when they least expected it and spared only Lot and his family. (Cf. Gen 18&19)

Sadly, there are people today who are grossly misbehaving and yet are counting on the intercession of their parents or certain men or women of God. What they don’t realise is that if they don’t change their ways and stop being stiff-necked, a time will come when their destruction will no longer sleep but will overtake them suddenly. Then they will perish without remedy and despite the intercession of those godly people. And if you too are like that, if you are stubborn and unwilling to accept rebuke, however slight it may be, you may just be preparing yourself for sudden destruction – destruction without remedy. So, repent now before it is too late. And may God help you to do the right thing. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2022, 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)

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Don’t be selfish | By: J.O. Lawal |Fire in my Bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: November 16, 2022|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 27

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil 2:4NIV)

What does it mean to be selfish? It means to be concerned about yourself alone, especially at the expense of others. It means to do things or go for things for the sole purpose of satisfying ourselves and without considering how others are affected. And the word of God says that is a wrong way to live.

Now is it wrong to be concerned about ourselves? No! Or is it wrong to want to satisfy ourselves? No! Unfortunately, there are people who think we don’t have to be concerned about ourselves at all but about others and that we don’t have to satisfy ourselves at all but others. These are the kind that would say, “Always think of others first.”

But as nice and gracious as that may sound, it is not at all a godly philosophy. Why did I say that? It is because there is nowhere in the Scripture in which God tells us to think of others first. On the contrary, what we have are Scriptures in which God says, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Why is God telling us to love our neighbours as ourselves? The reason is that until we learn to love and treat ourselves right, we cannot love and treat others right. (Cf. Matt 22:39)

By the way, even those who tell us to always think of others first are really not putting others first in their lives. I am saying this because the major reason they love to put others first is that it makes them feel good or accomplished. I mean that there is a measure of satisfaction these people derive or seek to derive from putting others first in their affairs. So, ultimately, their putting others first is not really about others but about themselves. Can we, then, say that they are putting others first? No!

Well, my point is that being selfish is not basically about not putting others first. That is because you can be putting others first and still be dubious. Yes, you can be putting others first and still be cheating them. If you have younger ones and you grew up with them, you should understand what I am saying. Here you were, sharing a lump of meat among you and your younger ones. And you decided to first give them their own share, so that they would see you as selfless. But was that to say you did not cheat them at all? You know the answer.

So, the idea of putting others first may not eliminate cheating or selfishness. However, it is possible not to put others first and still not be selfish. This is a situation in which you are not just concerned about yourself but also about others. And that is what Paul is speaking of in our opening bible text. There he tells us not to look at our own interests alone but also at the interest of others.

What is the difference between a selfish person and an unselfish person? A selfish person is only concerned about their own interests and not at all about yours. So, for example, if they make or sell to you a product, they will only be concerned about the profit they will make from the sale and not at all about your enjoyment of it. That, of course, is the foundation for all fake products and substandard services. The people behind them are only concerned about their own gain and not at all about the benefit or loss you may derive from what they offer you. They are selfish.

Something similar can be experienced in relationships, whether natural or spiritual. When people are merely concerned about how much they can squeeze out of you and not concerned at all about how that will affect you or concerned about what they also can do to show that they care about you, they are selfish. And selfishness irritates. Selfishness puts off kind people. In fact, it will only take a kind person that is walking in the love of Christ to remain forever kind to you, if you are selfish.

So, don’t be selfish. Don’t be concerned about yourself alone but about others as well. If people are helping you or working with you, be genuinely concerned about their welfare as well and show it as often as you can. Yes, be sure you are regularly considering how you can show them that you too care about them and that you are not a parasite.

See, selfish people are parasites, always seeking to drain others. Selfish people don’t move the world forward or contributing anything significant to make it better. It is unselfish people that are moving the world forward and making it better and more enjoyable for everyone to live in. They are the ones coming up with new inventions and easier and better ways and methods of doing things. They are the ones making and selling to us products or services that give us value for whatever money we pay for them.

Yes, they too may be making profit and probably getting richer through what they are doing for us, depending on the kind of relationship we have with them. But whatever they do for us is not just about them but also about us. So, God is happy with them because they are making us happy. And He will be happy with us too, if we will stop being selfish and start making others really happy by being unselfish in all that we do.

Cheers!

Categories
General Post

It’s only a matter of time | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 13, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 28

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours without measure from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to another week of the month of November 2022. And I pray that your heart will be rid of every form of hypocrisy in your walk with God, so that you will not end up being revealed as a counterfeit believer, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A preacher said this in a meeting I once attended: “My father in the Lord told me there is nothing you are after in ministry that you will not find. If you are after money, you will find it. If you are after women, you will find them. If you are after fame, you will find it. And if you are after God, you will also find Him. Everything you find depends on what your heart is after.” And I believe that is true to a very great degree. What people are after in the kingdom of God is what they will most probably find.

But then, will what they find be worth the trouble, time, energy and resources they have invested into getting it? Will it bring their soul the satisfaction they are seeking? Will what they find bring them the praise of God or His condemnation?

Paul, while writing to the Philippians, says this: “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.” (Phil 1:15NIV) So, as far back as the days of this apostle, we have been having in the church people who serve God in a spirit of envy and competition. You should not be surprised, then, if you find people in the church who are jealous of your usefulness in the church and who are doing all they can to prove to others that they are better than you or take your position. Their ancestors in the church also acted in a similar fashion.

Furthermore, Peter too, in his second epistle, speaks about some of the reasons people are in the church and are presenting themselves as servants of God. According to him, some are in the church because of greed, because they see service to God as a means to enriching themselves. And there are those in the church because of adultery. These ones see in the church great opportunities to seduce naïve women and men and mess them up in sexual immorality. (Cf. 2Peter 2)

At any rate, whatever your reasons may be for being in the church and for making yourself available to serve God, time will tell. I mean that it is only a matter of time before what you really want in the church is revealed for everyone to see. And I am not talking about what will happen on the day of judgment but what will happen right here on earth.

Remember Gehazi. Remember that it was only a matter of time before it was revealed that, all along, he had been following Elisha, the man of God, for earthly riches. And remember Judas Iscariot. Remember that even though he concealed the greed in him all those three and a half years of following Jesus up and down, a time came when his greed came out in the open for everyone to see. But did these men find the satisfaction they wanted through what they got? No! What Gehazi found was leprosy. And what Judas Iscariot found was death. (Cf. 2Kings 5; John 13)

In like manner, if your heart is not right in your service to God, if what you are after in the church is not God Himself, there is nothing you get that will satisfy you. Whatever you get, be it money, fame, position, women, men, job or healing won’t satisfy you. On the contrary, it may end up becoming your nemesis, the very thing that will destroy you. So, mind yourself and see to it that your purpose in being God’s kingdom and in serving Him is right. And may He Himself keep your heart right with Him both now and always, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a great week.

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

More than competence |By: J.O. Lawal | November 09, 2022

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 26

“The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.” (Gen 39:2-5NIV)

Evidently, from what we see in Scriptures, Joseph was a highly competent young man when it comes to administration and management, whether of people or of things. But it was not his competence that took him to the top everywhere he found himself; it was God’s favour.

As we see in our opening bible text, when his master saw his competence and success in handling whatever was committed into his hands, Joseph found favour in his eyes. Therefore, he promoted him, made him his personal attendant and put him in charge of his whole household. But do you know that Joseph’s master may as well have ignored the competence he saw in him? Do you know that he could as well have considered his competence to be a threat to his own position as the master of that house?

See, it is not everyone that is comfortable with having competent people around them. There are people that feel threatened when they have a wise and competent subordinate or colleague around them. They see them as a threat to their current position or future position. So, they become jealous and start considering how they may pull them down or how they can show everyone that they are overrated.

Remember the story of King Saul and David. Remember that even though David killed Goliath and saved the nation of Israel on one occasion, King Saul never wholeheartedly accepted him as a loyal servant. Why? It was because he was not comfortable with his competence and the fact that God was with him everywhere he went. He was not comfortable at all with the fact that the young man might just become the next king, just by watching the way he was rising in the army and becoming more and more popular among the people. (Cf. 1Sam 17&18)

So, even though he promoted David and gave him a high rank in the army, he did it reluctantly. He did it because he had no choice, for the bible tells us that all his officers and the people of Israel loved the young man because of his competence and because he fought and won their battles for them. Then, even though he made him his in-law by giving him one of his daughters, it was not because he loved and cherished him as one of his loyal men. Rather, it was because he wanted the girl to be a trap that he would use in catching and killing him.

In any case, when he could no longer bear the thought of David becoming his successor, he, in his jealousy, began to deploy all the resources at his disposal to hunt him down at every given chance in order to kill him. If David, then, had not found favour in the sight of God, he would have perished at some point in the hands of this wicked and jealous king.

Therefore, the fact that you are competent does not mean that the people that matter where you are and who, to some extent, can decide how high you rise in life or how far you go in life will respect and appreciate you. They may not at all. Instead, they may be the ones that Satan will use to prey upon your very life. This is why you need to find favour in their eyes, even though they are wicked and unreasonable. And God can make that happen.

How reasonable and kind was Potiphar? We would not know, for we are not told in the bible. But we are told that Joseph found favour in his eyes. So, even though he was a total stranger to him and not an Egyptian, he kept on promoting him until he put him charge of his whole household. And how reasonable and kind was the prison warden that this young man met in the prison, having been shamefully treated by Potiphar’s wife? We are not told in the bible. But we are told that God caused Joseph to find favour in his eyes, so much so that the man recognised his abilities and put him in charge of the entire prison facility and all that was going on there. (Cf. Gen 39)

Also, we are not told how reasonable and kind the Pharaoh of Joseph’s days was. I suspect that he must have been a highly reasonable and kind man. But then, it would take more than being reasonable and kind to make a total stranger, one just coming out from the prison, your second-in-command and ruler over your entire nation. All the odds were against Joseph in that situation. But because God’s favour was working for him, Pharaoh and his officials did not see anything wrong with putting a man with such great competence over their entire nation, even though he was not a native. (Cf. Gen 41)

So, if there is anything you need more than competence to keep rising in life, it is God’s favour. It is good to be competent. And you should labour to be known and seen as a very competent person in whatever field you are working. But competence without God’s favour will never leave its prison room. So, crave His favour. Receive His favour. And whatever abilities you have will begin to shine forth and open doors of greatness for you.

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

Be prompt about serving Him | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 06, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 27

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. I am delighted to welcome you to a new week of the month of November 2022. I pray that your heart will be strengthened to always be prompt and wholehearted in your service to God, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we see in the bible, God does not just want His people to serve Him; He also wants them to be prompt or immediate about serving Him. He does not want it to take them forever to make up their minds to serve Him or to really get involved in serving Him. Why? It is because if we are not prompt to serve Him as He wants, certain people that He wants to bless through our service may end up missing His blessings forever. And if that should happen, apart from the fact that we may be penalized by Him for allowing others to miss His blessings for them, we are also going to lose whatever reward that could have been ours, if we had been prompt to do His will.

Therefore, don’t think you have all the time in the world to get yourself ready to serve God. That is because you don’t. And if you don’t get yourself busy with whatever He is asking you to do for Him or whatever your hands can find to do for Him, a time will come when it will be too late for you to do what you could have done for Him. Remember that Jesus says, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4NIV) Will you, then, want night to overtake you while you are still dragging your feet about the Lord’s work?

Personally, I would not want that to happen to me. Instead, I want to follow the bible examples of those who were prompt to recognise how God wanted them to serve Him and also prompt to begin to serve Him. I am sure you have, for instance, heard about the mad man of Gadarenes and of how the Lord Jesus delivered him from insanity. As the account goes, immediately this man saw that he had been cured, he began to beg Jesus to allow him to follow Him wherever He was going. But the Lord told him not to follow Him but to instead go and tell his family members how much God has done for him. (Cf. Mark 5:1-19)

Did this man, then, do as the Lord had instructed him or not? He did. In fact, he went beyond what he was told to do. Without wasting time at all, he went round a region called ‘The Decapolis’, which means ‘Ten cities’, and began sharing his testimony with everyone that cared to listen (Mark 5:20). That is what is called promptness in serving the Lord. And that is what we are being called upon to imitate.

Also, the bible tells us about a business woman in Philippi called Lydia and of how she became born again through the ministry of Paul the Apostle (Acts 16:13-15). And as we are further told about her, the very day she became born again was the day she began to serve the Lord with Paul and his companions. She offered them free accommodation in her house that same day and insisted that they should accept it, if they believed that she had indeed become born again. No wonder Paul, when writing to the church in Philippi, would say about them, “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…” (Phil 1:4-5NIV)

Now that is the kind of promptness in ministry that God wants us to emulate. He wants us to be prompt to share His word, prompt to pray for others, prompt to give for His work and prompt to care for His people. And it is this kind of service that pleases Him and that He rewards, a service that is carried out with promptness. My prayer, then, is that your heart will be taught and strengthened to always be prompt to do whatever God wants you to do to serve Him, so that you will never again miss your service reward, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2022, 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)

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

The relevance of moderation | Pst. J.O. Lawal | November 02, 2022 | Youth for Jesus | Vol. 5, No. 25

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“If you find honey, eat just enough — too much of it, and you will vomit. Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house — too much of you, and he will hate you.” (Prov 25:16-17NIV)

Years ago, as a boy in the primary school, I once fell terribly ill and had to be on drugs for some weeks. But instead for me to be getting better, I was only getting weaker and duller. It was so bad that I would sleep for most part of the school period. And when my teacher brought this to my father’s notice, he got really worried about it. Eventually, he went back to find out from the clinic where I had been treated and given medications what could be wrong. It was then he found out that he had been giving me an overdose of the medications. And if he had been a little late in finding out what he was doing wrong, the case would have ended differently.

Now what is the point of my story? It is that something that is meant to accomplish some good may end up accomplishing something bad, if it is not handled moderately. And it is this same point that Solomon is making in our opening bible text. According to him, as tasty and medicinal as honey can be, it is very little of it that our bodies can handle at a time. But if we ignore this fact and begin to drink it as one would drink water, it would not be long before we get into trouble. Then something that is supposed to heal us will end up endangering our lives. The same thing is applicable to salt and several other things that are available for our use.

Therefore, in using the things of this life, we must always pursue moderation. Yes, the Scripture says everything God created is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving (1Tim 4:4). However, if we do not know the right dose of these good things that God has created and use them accordingly, we will surely get ourselves in trouble. It does not matter whether it is food, water, drink, dress, sleep or even money that we are dealing with. As long as we do not use it moderately, it will lose its goodness and become evil in our hands, a channel through which Satan can afflict us. 

How, then, do you know that you are being immoderate or excessive in the way you are using things that are good and not bad in themselves? First, when through your use of something that is good, you endanger your life or others’ lives, there is a tendency that you are being excessive in your use of it. Second, when through your use of something good, people start seeing you as irresponsible, you may be certain that you are already being excessive. So, as you use the good things God has placed at your disposal, be careful to always use them in ways that they will not endanger you or others or make you appear irresponsible to those who care about you. 

Also, as Solomon further points out in our opening text, as important as it is to be friendly with our neighbours and to know how they are faring, it is not every time they will want us around them. Even if we think they need us, they may not think so. And if we are not discerning about this and be moderate in our dealings with them, we may end up unduly intruding or interfering with their lives and affairs. Then we may get to see what we should not see about them or get to access information or resources belonging to them that they don’t want us to have access to. And this may get them to become irritated about us or it may give room for them to begin to despise or disregard us.

Therefore, in handling our relationships, we must also and always seek to be moderate. Know when the visitation should end. Know when the chatting should end. Know where the quizzing should end. Master the art of getting to know how much of you people really want in their lives. Remember that even God usually does not come into people’s lives and affairs without first knocking and waiting for them to respond, even though He is the creator and owner of every one of us. And when He comes into our lives, He will still only move to the degree that we permit Him. Learn from God, then, and don’t unduly insert yourself into anyone’s life. (Cf. Rev 3:20)

Now someone may ask, “How do I know that I am already becoming excessive in my dealings with others?” First, when your dealings with them is making you irresponsible in any area of your life, preventing you from doing what you ought to do or paying attention to what you ought to pay attention to, your presence in their lives is becoming excessive. Second, when your dealings with them is making them irresponsible in any area of their lives, hindering them from being busy with what they ought to be busy with or resting when they ought to be resting, your presence in their lives is becoming immoderate.

Then when you can see that your presence in people’s lives or with them makes them uncomfortable or exposes you to things about them that you should not know or are not qualified to be part of, know that it is becoming too much or excessive. So, you need to excuse yourself. Otherwise, as I said before, they may end up being the one that will excuse you. And the disgrace or shame that will accompany that may be too much for you to bear. 

My prayer is that you will not be disgraced by those who are meant to honour you or being ruined through anything God has given for your good. But you too must learn and master the art of moderation in life. The benefits are just too immense to ignore. Cheers!

Copyright © 2022, 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)

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022

Rid your life of these things | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: October 30, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 26

Title: Rid your life of these things | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: October 30, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 26

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. I am glad to welcome you to another week, which is the transition week between the months of October and November 2022. And I pray that God will cause His favour to overwhelm your life every day of the week, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this week, let me remind you of the words of Peter that say, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” (1Peter 2:1NIV) What are the things Peter is asking us to rid ourselves of here? They are the works of the flesh. And he gives us examples of the works of the flesh that we need to rid ourselves of. He mentions malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. Of course, there are several works of the flesh that this apostle could have used as examples. But he used these ones, I believe, because they are major among those works of the flesh that often mess up Christian fellowship, ruin the church of God and hinder her growth and effectiveness.

For example, as terrible as adultery and idolatry are, they hardly result in church split or disintegration. But malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander, if not addressed on time, can scatter any church in few weeks and fill the brethren involved with bitterness that may not go away for the rest of their earthly lives. And that is one of the reasons God is sometimes ruthless in judging these sins among His people.

Do you remember the case of Ananias and Sapphira? Why was God ruthless in judging them the way He did? Why did He kill these couples on the same day without even blinking an eye? It was because of deceit and hypocrisy. These people were trying to deceive the church of God about their offering, giving everyone the impression that they were giving more than they were actually giving. So, God judged them with death before they could get any chance to introduce other brethren to a life of deceit (Acts 5:1-11).

What this is showing us is that God cares about His church and will not fold His arms and watch anyone corrupt or destroy her, for the church is His temple. In fact, Paul tells us that God will destroy anyone that destroys His temple. All of this is why we need to take Peter’s admonition that we have in our opening text very seriously. We need to rid our lives of very kind of deceit, malice, envy, hypocrisy and slander, as we relate to one another in our various assemblies. Otherwise, we may bring down God’s judgment on ourselves. (Cf. 1Cor 3:16-17)

Unfortunately, many of God’s people are ignorant of these things. Therefore, they allow malice, hypocrisy, envy, deceit and slander to thrive and fester in their lives and among them. It is no big wonder, then, that we have many in our various Christian assemblies today that are battling with all kinds of sicknesses, poverty and distress that will not go away, regardless of how hard they pray or fast. What these ones need to do is to rid their lives of these terrible works of the flesh that they have permitted in them. And the healing of Jesus will begin to manifest in them.

Now perhaps the reason you too are facing certain problems that will not go away in your life is that you have given room for hatred, malice, envy, slander and hypocrisy in your life. You have allowed the devil to be using you to secretly or openly ruin the church of God. You need to repent now so that your life will be healed and made whole. Otherwise, things may go from bad to worse for you. My prayer is that your heart will be humbled to do the right thing without delay, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2022, 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)