Author: Pastor J.O. Lawal

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Fire in my Bones

Title: What about wine and party? – February 17, 2021

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus ,Number: Vol. 3, No. 40

“Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Have not I given you this order? Be strong and brave.”” (2Sam 13:28NIV)

Recently, I saw a viral video of a young man that cleverly put some substance in the cup of drink of another young man when they were all dancing together in a party. Why he did that or what became of the person whose drink he dropped that substance in, nobody knows? But something is clear, and it is that he could not have succeeded in doing that, if his victim had not been in that party and also in high spirits from the wine or beer or whatever it was that he was drinking.

Now this, of course, reminds me of the bible account of how Amnon, the first son of King David, was assassinated in cold blood. Of course, he was killed because of his own evil act. Nevertheless, killing him would not have been an easy thing for his murderers, if he had not attended Absalom’s party at all or got drunk there. Is that to say that it is wrong to attend parties? No! It all depends on the kind of party you want to attend. What is it about? What kind of individuals will be there? And what will they be doing there? If you go to a party where ungodly things are bound to be done or one that will be loaded with your enemies or those who want your fall, then, you can expect ungodly or wicked things to happen to you there.

Also, am I saying it is wrong to drink wine or beer? No! The bible never says it is wrong for people to drink wine or beer or anything alcoholic, even for pleasure. But it warns severally against drunkenness (Prov 23:29-35; Eph 5:18; 1Tim 3:3; Titus 2:2). It also warns against drinking or doing anything else that can destroy other people’s life or faith in God or our own very lives. So, you can drink wine or beer if you are confident that you won’t get drunk by doing so and that you will not be endangering your life or another person’s life or faith through it. (Cf. Rom 14:20-21; 1Cor 8:13)

But then, why does the bible warn us in particular about drunkenness? It is because it takes away our self-control and our ability to think clearly and make sound judgment. And once this happens, we become vulnerable to disgrace and all kinds of terrible things. For instance, the first recorded case of drunkenness in the bible was that of Noah. And though this man did not get drunk deliberately, he got drunk nevertheless and lay naked in his tent, unconsciously exposing himself to disgrace. Only God, then, knows the number of people who daily subject themselves, their families and other people in their lives to public shame because of drunkenness. (Cf. Gen 9:20-23)

Also, as we see in our opening text, the instruction that Absalom gave to his men was for them to wait until Amnon was high in spirits from drinking wine or drunk before they would strike him. Why? It was because he knew that killing the man, who was most likely a soldier himself, when he was in his right frame of mind may be an impossible task for them. So, he asked them to wait until wine took charge of him before attacking him. And because they followed his instruction, they succeeded in carrying out their wicked plot.

Why am I sharing all this with you? First, it is so that you will begin to watch closely where you go and the company you keep. Second, it is so that you will never again give yourself to anything that makes you lose your self-control or your ability to think clearly and judge wisely. These two things, of course, represent God’s wisdom for your safety. So, take them very seriously, and there are some miracles of protection you may never need in life.

Copyright © 2021, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com / alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Topical Studies

Title: Don’t despise the gift of God – February 03, 2021

fire in my bones
fire in my bones


Series: Youth for Jesus, Number: Vol. 3, No. 38

“Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom. Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.” (Gen 25:29-34NIV)

Have you ever despised something or someone or judged them as worthless, only to later found out that your judgment was wrong and that the very person you despised, ignored and rejected was someone that would have contributed greatly to your advancement or satisfaction in life? If you have never done that, then, I pray that you don’t ever do it. That is because the regret or pain that may come with it may be for an entire lifetime.

Now such was the case with Esau. Esau was the elder of the twins of both Isaac and Rebekah. And as the bible tells us, he was a skilful hunter, who also went on to have under his command four hundred warriors (Gen 25:27&33:1). So, we are looking at a strong, brave and intelligent man and leader. Yes, we are looking at a very confident man, one who believed in what his intelligence and might could achieve for him.

But Jacob, Esau’s younger twin brother, was unlike him. He was not an impressive person like his elder brother. Rather, he was a quiet person that prefers to stay indoors. That, however, does not mean that he was a stupid person. On the contrary, he was a very clever person, who knew how to use what he had to get what he wanted.

Well then, being an indoor person, one who was always interacting with everyone at home, especially his parents and their servants, it was not long before he learnt about a special blessing from God that was running through their family and which naturally was meant to go to his elder brother. And the moment he got to know about this blessing and what it could do to his life and the lives of his descendants after him, he began to covet it and think of ways to make it his. (Cf. Gen 12:1-3, 22:15-18 & 26:2-5)

Now a day came when his dream came true. Esau came home that day, hungry and fainting and desiring to eat something very fast. And to make things easy for him, he met his younger brother in possession of what he loved best, red stew. So, he asked him to quickly give him some in order that he may quench his hunger with it and renew his strength. But Jacob, who was a very shrewd person, saw an opportunity in that situation to make his brother give up his right as the elder of the two of them and so asked him to sell it for the price of his red stew. Why? It was because he felt that would give him the opportunity he needed to be the inheritor of the blessing of God that was given to their grandfather, Abraham.

How, then, did Esau respond to that? He responded by saying, “Look, I am about to die here. What good is the birthright to me?” So, without giving much thought to what he was about to do, he sold his birthright on oath, collected the food he wanted to eat, ate, drank and then got up and left. And the bible says that by doing that, he despised his birthright. Think about it. That man despised something that only God could give a man, something that no amount of money could ever buy. And by despising his birthright, he also despised the blessing given by God to Abraham and proved himself to be unworthy of receiving it. So, today, hundred of years later, the descendants of Jacob still stand as a recognised nation in the world, but the descendants of Esau are nowhere to be found.

But why did Esau do what he did? He did it because he was a godless man, as the bible notes (Heb 12:16-17). He was someone that did not believe in spiritual things and the roles they play in determining how life goes. Remember I said that he was a very confident young man. But his confidence was not in God but in himself and what he could accomplish for himself. Unfortunately, all that he could accomplish for himself could not give him and his descendants a permanent place in God’s scheme of things.

In like manner, we need to watch never to put confidence in ourselves or our abilities to take care of ourselves. Is that to say it is wrong to be a confident person? No! But our confidence must not be in ourselves but in God without whom we cannot accomplish anything. This, of course, will keep us humble and also from despising people or things that He has given as gifts to fulfil us in life.

Copyright © 2021, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com / alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

Title: Give them what is right and fair – January 13, 2021

fire in my bones
fire in my bones


Series: Youth for Jesus, Number: Vol. 3, No. 35

“Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” (Col 4:1NIV)

It is a fact that everyone who invests his money or resources in acquiring something or enjoying some services wants real value for it. This is why we often go into endless bargaining with those selling their goods or services to us. We don’t ever like to find out that we have paid more than we have been offered in terms of goods or services. And nothing really is wrong with functioning like that.

Nonetheless, as those who believe in God and in the fact that He is the Great Judge over all, we need to watch out for greed or the love of money in all our business dealings. Otherwise, in our quest to acquire things or get things done at a good price, we may end up cheating others. And cheating is stealing.

So then, in our opening text, Paul admonishes us, as he admonishes all employers of labour, to provide those who work for us or those who provide us with goods or services with what is right and fair. That means we need to consciously see to it that, in paying people for whatever they sell to us or do for us, we do not pay them less than they are offering us and cheat them of their profit.

Of course, it is not always easy to tell the real monetary value of all the goods we are buying or services we are getting. So, there will be times in which we will ignorantly pay more or less than the real value of the goods or services we are getting for others. And God can understand our limitations along this line. But when we know exactly the worth of what we are getting from people and yet decide to unduly take advantage of their ignorance and pay them less for it or when we manipulate or threaten them into taking from us something less than what they are offering, we have become cheaters and thieves. We are like the individuals described in Solomon’s proverbs, when he says, “”It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer; then off he goes and boasts about his purchase.” (Prov 20:14NIV)

Can you relate to that? You should be able to relate to it. I mean that you probably can remember situations in which you discredited some items you wanted to buy just so you could pay less for them or situations in which you minimized the worth of someone’s services just so you could pay them less than they were offering. Then when you eventually got what you wanted, you began to boast to others about the great worth of you got. All such things are not righteous. And God, who is the Great Judge over all and who is forever watching us, knows what we are up to and will reward us accordingly here on earth and not just in heaven.

Now how God will reward us here for consciously cheating others is not something I or anybody can speak of. Sometimes it may be by denying us the enjoyment of what we have gotten or by allowing us to lose more than we have gained. Exactly how He will judge in matters like this is beyond what anyone can really tell. But He will certainly judge them and make sure everyone involved in cheating others gets what is appropriate for them.

So, make up your mind that you will always be careful to give those who make goods or services available to you what is right and fair before God and before man. In fact, it is always better to pay people more than they offering us than to pay them less. That way, we can keep our lives free from the troubles that come with being found by God as a thief of the fruit of other people’s labour. Therefore, when next you want to trick, manipulate or threaten others to take from you something less than they are offering you, remember that God is watching you and will reward you accordingly.

Copyright © 2021, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com / alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

Title: Why do people commit crimes so readily? – January 27, 2021

fire in my bones
fire in my bones


Series: Youth for Jesus, Number: Vol. 3, No. 37

“Why do people commit crimes so readily? Because crime is not punished quickly enough.” (Eccl 8:11-12GNT)

According to the Scriptures, the natural man is naturally delinquent and so will readily do wrong things, especially if the opportunity is there to do so (Rom 3:9-18). But then, it is not only because human beings are naturally prone to do evil that they readily do wrong things; it is also because wrong things are often not quickly punished by those in a position to do so.

For example, we have in the bible an account of how Amnon, the eldest son of King David, raped his half-sister, Tamar, and also threw her out of his house (2Sam 13:1-19). And what did the law of the land say against that kind of atrocity? First, the law says that is wrong for a man to marry his sister, even if she is his half-sister, not to talk of having sexual relations with her (Leviticus 20:17). People who do such things must be cut off from the assembly of God’s people. Second, the law says if a man rapes a virgin that is pledged in marriage to someone else, and the virgin is absolutely in a helpless situation when this happens, one in which no one could rescue her, that man must be put to death (Deut 22:23-27). Third, the law says if a man rapes a virgin that is not pledged in marriage to anyone, he must be made to marry the girl, and he cannot divorce her as long as he lives (Deut 22:28-29).

Therefore, if Amnon’s case were to be judged, the most merciful judgment he could get was a lifetime married life with his sister, Tamar, a married life away from the royal house and away from the land of Israel. Unfortunately, even though King David heard about this matter, as bible records show, he only got furious with Amnon; he did not judge his crime or sentence him in any way. Yes, he may have called him and reprimanded him. But if that young man were not a prince, would he only reprimand him and not make him face the full wrath of the law of the land? I don’t think so. (Cf. 2Sam 13:21)

Now that, of course, was not the first or only time David, a God-fearing man, would be reluctant to judge an obvious crime because of his relationship with the one involved. For instance, when Joab, his nephew and army commander, murdered Abner, Israel general, who had come in peace to him in order to end the war between his house and Saul’s house, he only wept and fasted for Abner. He did not punish Joab in any way. And that only strengthened the man to commit more acts of wickedness, for, years later, he would murder in cold blood another Israel’s general, who was even a cousin of his and whose only crime was that he was made his senior in the army. Yet what did David do about this? Nothing! He simply passed the matter on to Solomon, who became king after him. (Cf. 2Sam 3:17-39; 2Sam 19&20; 1Kings 2:5-6)

In like manner, because Amnon was his son, his eldest son and perhaps the one he was grooming for kingship at that time, he overlooked his crime. And because he overlooked his crime of rape, he unconsciously encouraged Absalom, another son of his and brother to the raped girl, Tamar, to take matters into his hand and murder Amnon, who was his own brother as well. So, Solomon, who was aware of all this, says to us in our opening text, “When we fail to judge and punish people’s crimes on time, we are strengthening wickedness in the land.” And when we strengthen wickedness where we are because we will not use our position or authority to judge it, lawlessness will at some point take over. Then there may come a time in which we too will become victims of it.

Therefore, regardless how little your authority to judge or punish evil may be where you are, make sure you are using it appropriately and adequately, without partiality. That way, you will be discouraging those around you from giving themselves to wickedness.

Copyright © 2021, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com / alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

Title: What can set your life on fire? – January 20, 2021

fire in my bones
fire in my bones


Series: Youth for Jesus, Number: Vol. 3, No. 36

“The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (James 3:6NIV)

Self-control is a major virtue that everyone who does not want his life ruined before it even gets started needs to possess. And one area of our lives in which we need to cultivate self-control is that of the way we use our tongues. In other words, we need to learn to control what we say with our tongues. Otherwise trouble will never be far from us.

To say the fact, one major reason some people will never have any moment of peace in this life is that they do not know how to control their tongues. They just say anything that comes into their mind and in exactly the way it comes into it. It is true that we may not always be able to control what thoughts come into our mind. But we surely can control what we do with those thoughts. I mean that we can determine which among the thoughts of our hearts we give expression to with our mouths and which ones we are going to remain silent about. And that is because it is not everything we think in our hearts that will do us or others good, if we should express it with our mouths.

Unfortunately, some people don’t even think at all before they open their mouths to speak. Once they are angry, depressed, happy or excited, they will just say anything that enters their mind, without considering how it may affect them or others. So, they end up putting themselves, others or even generations of people in some difficult situations or in some path of destruction.

Look, for example, at the case of one Herod of bible days (Mark 6:17-29). This man on a particular birthday of his gave a banquet for his high chiefs, army commanders and the leading men of Galilee. And was anything wrong with that? No! But when the daughter of his wife, Herodias, got him excited with her dance, he did not know when he, on oath, promised to give her anything she wanted, even up to half of his kingdom. And who does that? Even if that young lady was the most tender person in the world, was she capable of managing a household, not to talk of a kingdom? Had she been proved worthy of managing her own life, not to talk of managing an entire half of a kingdom that probably took several years of hard labour, diligence and wisdom to build?

Yet because this Herod got carried away in his moment of excitement, he made a promise to that girl that her mother took advantage of to get rid of John the Baptist, a righteous man that she considered to be her enemy. And because of his oath, there was nothing he could do about it. So, even though he did not deliberately kill John the Baptist, he would someday have to take responsibility for his death before God. But how did he find himself in this mess? It was through the careless use of his tongue.

Now there are several other examples both in the bible and in life of how people got themselves into trouble and set whole lives on fire because they could not tame their tongues. You yourself may even be able to speak of cases in which you got into trouble or lost some good things because you did not use your tongue wisely and carefully. Did you learn anything from such cases? If you didn’t, then, take advantage of these words that are coming to you now to learn the relevance of taming your tongue.

See, as apostle James makes very clear to us in our opening bible text, it is true that the tongue is a very small part of our body. However, it is also a fire that is capable of setting someone’s entire life of fire and devouring it. And the truth is that it has devoured many lives. I am saying there have been lives, homes and even nations that have been set on fire and ruined because of some people’s careless or foolish words. You may even know some of them. And if you don’t want to set your own life or other people’s lives on fire with your tongue, if you don’t want to shut the door of God’s favour against yourself or continually get trapped in problems that are never meant to be yours, you need to begin to consciously and consistently control the way you use your tongue.

Look at what the bible says to us about this: “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.” (1Peter 3:10NIV) Did you see that? If you want to enjoy your life and see many good days, what do you need to watch? The way you use your tongue! And may God enable you to tame your tongue to be blessing to you and others and not a curse of fire that will burn down your life and every good thing you have.

Copyright © 2021, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com / alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

Title: Don’t add it to your own – January 06, 2021

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus , Number: Vol. 3, No. 34

“The LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.”” (Josh 7:10-12NIV)

The bible is very clear about the fact that God hates stealing. In other words, He does not want us to take anything that does not belong to us or that is not given to us by its owner and add to our own things. And it does not matter how we do this, whether it is force we are using or tricks, stealing is stealing before God.

Now stealing, apart from the fact that it exposes us to the danger of eternal judgment, is also able to expose us and even those in our lives to all kinds of afflictions here on earth. For instance, look at what God says to Joshua in our opening text. He says he and the people he is leading are vulnerable to destruction. But why? It is because one of them stole certain items that God had given them instructions to destroy. (Cf. Joshua 7:1)

Just think about that. The things the man, Achan, stole were not anybody’s properties. Rather, they were just items that God said that they should destroy. So, he must have said to himself, “Since these are mere items and not people, they cannot report to anybody that I took them or rise up to fight us back. More so, they are not anybody’s properties. Why, then, can’t I take some of them and keep for myself?” And that was exactly what he did. He took some of those things devoted to destruction and made them his own.

Unfortunately, what Achan did not know was that it was God he was stealing from. And the presence of those items he had stolen in the camp of his people, not just in his own house, turned God against them and made them vulnerable to destruction. So, when they went out to fight their enemies, enemies that were not as powerful as the ones they had initially conquered, they could not stand before them. Instead, they were soundly defeated. And as Joshua prayed about the matter, God told him that they had stolen items devoted to destruction and added them to their own possessions and that unless they got rid of those items and destroyed them, He would not be with them and they would remain vulnerable to defeat and destruction. So, the man had to do what he had to do – he found Achan, made him confess his sins and made sure that he, family and the things he had stolen were utterly destroyed. And that was the salvation of that nation. (Cf. Joshua 7)

Now perhaps the reason you too do not have peace in your life and are constantly defeated is that you have taken what belongs to God or to other people and added them to your own. Whatever your reasons may be for taking them, the fact remains that those things are not yours and so should not be in your possession. And because they are not yours, they can open the door for God’s judgment or demonic afflictions to come into your life, if you are not shown mercy. So, if the Lord is leading you to return such things, you should by all means do so. And if He is not, you should ask that He should, in His mercy, destroy whatever wrong influence those things have brought into your life or relationships.

Then it may be that what you need to experience progress or soundness of body is to pay what you have refused to pay certain people for the work they did for you. See, from what we are shown in Scriptures, other people’s properties that we have wrongly taken or added to our own can cry against us. And when they begin to do this, God’s judgment will certainly manifest against us. What forms this will take is not what I or anybody can say. But it is never going to be something you want or wish for. So, inasmuch as it is still within your ability to pay up what you owe, do so and free your life from unnecessary limitations or troubles. (Cf. James 5:4)

As we are shown in the bible, God, at two different times, punished two very powerful kings for taking the wife of Abraham to be theirs. But these two kings acted in complete ignorance. I mean that they acted on Abraham’s lies. Yet God was ready to destroy them and their households, if they would not return the man’s wife. But in what way were they wrong? They were wrong because they did not make enough findings about the woman before taking her in. Their lust for her beauty would not allow them to do so. And they got punished for that. (Cf. Gen 12 & 20)

Therefore, we can also get into trouble for ignorantly, foolishly or carelessly adding to our own what does not belong to us. That is because we may not be able to tell what sort of grief we are bringing to the owner of what we have ignorantly taken for ourselves. So, we need to be very careful in all our dealings with people in order for us not to unconsciously add to our own things that do not belong us and open the door for wrong influences to work in our lives. Then we need to learn to pray to God to continually open our eyes to see those things that don’t belong with us and that we need to send out of our lives and to recognize every satanic trap that may lead us into adding to our possessions things that don’t belong to us. And may His hand of mercy continue to keep us safe from every trap to steal and get into trouble, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Copyright © 2021, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com / alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Tell them of His goodness 07/03/2021

from pastor's desk

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you into the second week of the month of March 2021 and pray that nothing will hinder your life from fully expressing the goodness and power of God wherever you find yourself in the week, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the things we learn from the bible story of the mad man of Gerasene is that everyone who has experienced the goodness of God has a duty to spread the news to others, so that they in turn may come to Him. Then He will change their experience of sorrow, shame and pains to that of joy, glory and comfort (Mark 5:1-20).

Now, as the account shows, this man had been possessed by some Legion of demons. And these demons made his life so miserable that he ran mad. But his madness was not a kind that just made him walk around naked or that made him smile at everybody in awkward ways. Rather, it was a kind that made him extremely violent and dangerous to everyone around him and even himself. It was so bad that people stopped bothering themselves about tying him with chains, for he was just too strong to be bound with anything. So, everybody abandoned him. And he started living in the tombs, crying day and night and cutting himself with stones. Just think about how miserable those demons that were living in this man made his life.

In like manner, there are people today whose lives have been made horrible by demons. They may not be running around naked like a mad person. But their lives are not any much different from the life of a mad person. That is because everything they are doing is something that will further hurt or destroy them and also make their lives stink. And isn’t that how it is with mad people too? It is. The things they eat and drink, the place they live and sleep, the way they move around and the things they wear, if they wear anything at all, can only further hurt their lives and make them more irritating and unpleasant to do anything with.

At any rate, a day came when this mad man of Gerasene met the Lord Jesus Christ. That was the day he experienced God’s mercy and was delivered from the hands of those wicked unclean spirits that were bent on totally destroying his life. And his deliverance was so amazing that those who saw him could not believe their eyes, for he sat down well dressed and in his right mind. Then because this man was so grateful to God and excited about his deliverance, he begged Jesus to allow him to follow Him wherever He went. But the Lord told 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)

Look at that. The Lord plainly told that man that he did not have to move around with Him in order to serve God. All he needed to do was to go his people, all of whom had abandoned him, and tell them how much the Lord has done for him. And did he go or not? Oh, he did go to his family to share news of the goodness of God with them. But he did more than that. He also went all about a place called ‘the Ten Cities’ and told everyone he could find there how much Jesus had done for him. (Cf. Mark 5:20)

Now has the Lord truly done you too any good? If He has, then, who have you told about it? Is the Lord blessing you today through the ministry of His word or that of some of His saints? If He is, who are you telling about it? The Lord may not require you to be a preacher for you to serve Him. But He requires you to always seek opportunities to daily tell men of His goodness to you or others around you. This is so that they too may be inspired to come to Him for their salvation or deliverance. And remember that there are many around us whose lives are no better than those of mad people and who need urgent deliverance, if they must not perish. Such people need us to tell them something of the goodness and faithfulness of God, so that they may come to taste it. And my prayer is that we will be rid of every form of selfishness in this matter and made bold to do what is right.

Do have a week full of testimonies.

Copyright © 2021, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: The nature of God’s judgment – July 26, 2020

Beloved: grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to the last week of the month of July 2020. My prayer is that none of the good things that are meant for you in the month will elude you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, as one considers the terrible situation of things in this country, especially in the light of the recent allegations of fraud and corruption against some of our leaders, there is every tendency that he will be moved to ask God to swiftly judge all those who are involved and several others who are making it difficult for the nation to progress. And it is clear from scriptures that God will certainly judge people for all such acts of wickedness, not just at the end of this age but also right here on earth (1Sam 3:13; 1Kings 14:7-11). But those of us who are believers and who are also probably wishing that God will be quick to set things right in the country must also not forget that God does not judge things the way people do.

For instance, as bible points out, even though God is a God of justice, He does not delight in the death or destruction of the sinner. This is why He demonstrates patience with everyone, so that they may come to repentance and not be destroyed in judgment by Him. (Cf. Ezek 18:23&32; 2Pet 3:9) Then, even though God is determined to judge someone for his wickedness, He has His own set time for doing so. We can, therefore, not hurry Him to judge people before the time He has set to do so. In fact, from what we see in Scriptures, there are times that God waits for people’s wickedness to reach a certain limit before He deals with them in judgment. So, the full judgment or punishment for some individuals’ sins may not come on them, when they are alive, but on their descendants after them. (Cf. Gen 15:12-15; Ex 34:7; 2Pet 3:8)

Another thing we need to note about God’s judgment is that it often starts with His people. When there is so much wickedness in the land and we want it jugded, it is always our desire that God will start with those who are obviously wicked, perhaps the cruelest among them. But the bible tells us something different about this. It tells us that God often starts His judgment among His people.

For instance, when God was giving instructions about the judgment of the people of Judah, as Ezekiel records in his book, He said to those He had appointed for the work, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” (Ezek 9:5-6NIV) Also, Peter, in his first epistle, says, “For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1Peter 4:17NIV)

Did you see that? If God wants to set things right in a place, He will start by first dealing with His own people, who ought to know better. Think about it yourself. If He does not first deal with His own people who know the right thing to do but won’t do it, will He have any moral right to deal with those who don’t believe in Him at all and are doing wickedness? No! So, in order to stand just, He must first set His own house right before dealing with those outside it.

Now since that is the case, those of us who are calling on God to judge wickedness in our land should start by first judging ourselves and setting our own lives right before God. Otherwise when the judgment we are calling for starts, it is certain that we will be the first to taste it. So, let us begin to take seriously Paul’s admonitions that say, “But if we judged ourselves in the right way, God would not judge us. But when the Lord judges us, he punishes us so that we will not be destroyed along with the world.” (1Cor 11:31-32NCV)

Do have a great month end.

Copyright © 2020, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: A point of reference for good – July 19, 2020

Beloved: grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great delight that I welcome you into another week of the month of July 2020. And I pray that God will perfect all that concerns you and make your life a point of reference for good things, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we see in the bible, the very first king God ordained over the Israelites was Saul. But after the record of his death, nothing serious is mentioned about him again. Why? It was because he did not live an exemplary life. Yes, he reigned for forty years. But those forty years meant nothing to God, for they were not lived to honour Him.

But the case was different with David, who became king after him. He so gave his heart to God that He continually used him as a point of reference to others. For instance, when He was going to tear the kingdom of Solomon into two and give the larger part of it to Jeroboam, He said to him by the mouth of Ahijah the prophet, “If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.” (1Kings 11:38-39NIV)

Did you see that? God was using David as a standard for that young man to emulate. In other words, if Jeroboam would just order his life the way David ordered his own life, he would not have any problem with God but win His approval. And there are a number of other places in the bible in which we see God using this man as His standard for judging the performance of other kings. (Cf. 2Kings 14:3, 18:1-3 & 22:1-2)

But why would God use David as a standard for judging others? Was it because he was utterly sinless and absolutely perfect? No, he was not any of these things. He had his own flaws as a man and even committed sins that most of the other kings did not commit. Nevertheless, he was someone that was always after God’s heart to please Him and bring Him praise. And because of that, when he sinned, and it was brought to his notice, he would not start arguing with God or making excuses for his sins. Instead, he would lose no time in sincerely repenting and also in seeking forgiveness. You can, then, see why God continually used him as the standard for appraising all the kings that came after him. (Cf. 2Sam 11,12&24; Ps 51)

In like manner, God wants us to live our lives in such a way that He can tell others to learn from us. Yes, we know that none of us is ever a perfect example of man, as He wants man to be. Only Jesus Christ is. However, if we will follow the Lord holeheartedly and pattern our lives after His, it won’t be long before God is able to use us as a point of reference in showing others how to live lives that are well-pleasing to Him (1Cor 11:1; Phil 3:17). And my prayer is that, as you continue your journey through life, your heart will be strengthened to walk everyday in this consciousness, so that your life may continually be a blessing to everyone in your world.

Do have a great week.

Copyright © 2020, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: Don’t lose your soul for anything – July 12, 2020

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Welcome to another week of the year 2020. And I pray that the kindness of God will make life sweet and pleasant for you all through the week, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this new week, I want to remind you that, regardless of how sweet and pleasant this world is for us, there is a far better place that God has prepared for those who love Him. And regadless of how horrible this world may seem to be for us, there is a far worse place that God has prepared for the devil and all haters of God. Therefore, we must see to it that we do not allow our dealings with this world and the things in it to rob us of that wonderful place in eternity that God has prepared for us.

Our Lord Jesus, once while teaching the people, said, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matt 16:26) That means we can’t ever compare the value of this world and all its beauties and grandeur to the worth of a soul before God. While this world is bound to perish and be no more, every human soul that God has made lives on forever. So, even if all this world is given to you, you will still lose it someday.

Satan, for instance, has this whole world and its systems under his power, to whatever degree God has allowed it (Luke 4:5-7; 1John 5:19). Yet it is certain that he is going to lose it and forfeit himself in the the lake of fire forever, when God is set to establish His eternal kingdom (Rev 20:10). In like manner, even if anyone gained the whole world, he would surely lose all of it someday, for it is a world that is reserved for fire and destruction (2Pet 3:10).

But gaining the whole world is not even the issue. I mean that having all the beautiful things of this world and enjoying yourself with them is not the issue. The issue is for us to make sure that whatever we gain in this world is not at the cost of our souls. In other words, we should not allow those beautiful relationships, jobs, vehicles, offices and so forth to steal from us our place in God’s eternal kingdom. That is because when all those things are eventually gone, and they will certainly be gone someday, we will still be standing.

Where, then, are we going to be standing on that day and with whom are we going to be standing? Are we going to be standing with God in His eternal home of rest or with the devil in the eternal home of pains and distress that God has prepared for him? It all depends on how we relate to God now in this world. If we take Him more seriously than the world and everything in it, then, we will be with Him throughout eternity. But if we take the world more seriously than Him, then, we are going to be suffering together with the devil and his angels for eternity.

Similarly, it is not just about losing the whole world; it is also about our reason for losing it. If we fail to have or enjoy the beautiful things of this world because we want to gain God and His eternal home, then, we have done well and are blessed. But if we fail to have or enjoy these things because of our own foolishness or laziness in living or because Satan really has us, then, it would only spell a double loss for us. And this is why we must pay attention to what our dealings with the things of this world will do to our place in eternity and act according to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, which say, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” (Matt 5:29-30NIV)

Now this does not mean we are to literally remove our eyes or cut off parts of our body, just because we don’t want to miss God’s eternal rest. Doing such things will not necessarily accomplish want we want. At least, there are blind, deaf and lame persons that are nothing but little demons, even with their handicaps. What the Lord is saying, then, is that, if need be, we must ruthlessly deal with whatever is trying to make us lose what God has prepared for us and send us to hell. And I pray that your heart will be taught to identify all such things and also strengthened to do the needful by the wisdom of the Spirit of God in handling them.

Do have a fabulous week.

Copyright © 2020, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)