Categories
FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 Pastor's Desk

Are you available to Him? | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: January 21, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 38

Beloved: grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to another week of this year, year 2024. And my prayer is that God will rid your life of everything that has been making you unavailable for Him to use to bless others, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we see in the bible, God is always looking out for available instruments to use in establishing His good purpose in the lives of men. It may be His good purpose of healing them, saving them or prospering them that He wants to accomplish. But He is always in need of a man or woman or a boy or girl that is available for Him to use anytime He calls.

For instance, He said this to Ezekiel about the people of Israel: “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” (Ezek 22:30NIV) Look at that. Even though these people deserved to be judged by God for all their many sins, He was still not in a hurry to judge them. Instead, He patiently searched the whole land to see if there was someone that was praying to Him for them, so that He may spare them. Unfortunately, He found none. Therefore, He was left with no choice but to judge them.

In like manner, there are many that have been left to suffer or die because God is unable to find anyone to use to minister to them. Look at the way some of us pray all the time for God’s intervention in the leadership of this country. Do you think God is not listening to us? Or do you think He is uninterested in answering our prayers? He is listening to us and giving answers to our prayers. But the problem may just be that He has not found any available soul to use to bring us the kind of comfort and peace of mind that we want. So, we also have to be praying that there will be available souls for Him to use to save our nation.

But are we even available for Him to use in offering such prayers? Are we available for Him to use in doing anything at all? This goes beyond attending church meetings. We may be attending church meetings and still not be available for God to use in blessing anybody. As you probably know, it is possible for us to be physically present in a church meeting but also present somewhere else in our minds. Therefore, when things that will bless others, like praying for them, are being done in that meeting, our hearts are not involved. How, then, can God use us to bless anyone?

In his book of prophecy, Isaiah tells us of a time in which he found himself standing in the presence of God in a vision. And as he points out, even though he was there in His presence, God was still asking, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Why did God not just say, “Isaiah, I want to send you to my people to teach them my ways?” It was because He was not going to assume that Isaiah was available for Him to use, just because he was standing in His presence. Isaiah, therefore, had to indicate that he was available for Him to use before He could send him anywhere. (Cf. Isaiah 6:1-10)

In the same vein, just because we attend church meetings, God is not going to assume that we too are available for Him to use, if we will not show Him that we are available and that He can use us. Look at many of our churches today. Do you know that even the leaders of our churches may not assume that we are available to be given any task, if we will not indicate that we are available?

For instance, if you always disappear almost immediately a church meeting ends, are you showing yourself to be available to work for God in your church? No! Or if there is a job to be done by the church and, without taking permission, you do not show up to participate, will your leaders see you as available to join them in working for God? No! See, it is the one that a church leader is constantly seeing around him or that is constantly in touch with him that he will consider to be available for him to do God’s work with. The one that is always or often avoiding him will not be seen by him as a ready worker.

Now if we are not available to work with our church leaders or brethren in our church meetings, what is the guarantee that God will find us available to use in our workplaces, schools or neighbourhoods? There is none. Of course, that someone is available to God does not mean the person is fit to be used by Him. But even if we are the most qualified for any work He wants to do, as long as we are not available, we can only remain useless to Him. And where this is the case, He may have to go to a desert to look for a Moses to use or to a prison to bring out a Joseph to use or to a Babylon to look for another Nehemiah to use.

I pray that God will not be forced to find a replacement for us this year, in Jesus’ name. Amen. And one way to prevent that from happening is for us to begin to make ourselves fully available for Him to use.

Have a great week.

Copyright © 2024, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
Fire in my Bones General Post Youth for Jesus

Title: Borrowed to do good

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: January 17, 2024|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 36

“The LORD had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free, was suffering; there was no one to help them. And since the LORD had not said he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.” (2Kings 14:26-27NIV)

Who did God use in saving the people of Israel from their suffering, as we are told in our opening text? It was their King, Jeroboam son of Jehoash. And what kind of man was he? Here is what is said about him in the bible: “In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.” (2Kings 14:23-25NIV)

So, Jeroboam was an evil and sinful man. Yet God used him in saving His people from their suffering. What is that telling us? It is that it is not only good people that God can use to save, help or lift us. He can use bad and wicked people too. To say the fact, there are times that God may not find any good person in a place to use to save or help the oppressed. For instance, David says this in a Psalm of his:“The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Ps 14:2-3NIV)

Did you see that? It is possible for God to look down from heaven on a particular town, city or country and not see anyone who is not corrupt or who is devoted to doing good that He can use to build that country. What, then, would be the fate of those suffering in that country, if God were to wait until He finds or raises up a good and righteous person to help them? They may have to suffer for a much longer time.

However, because He is a compassionate God, even if using a wicked and ungodly person is what will bring urgent relief and comfort to the oppressed that are crying out to Him, He may decide to use him. And this is one of the reasons He commands us to be submissive to anyone that is in a position of authority, whether he is a good person or a bad one (Rom 13:1-5). He knows that we often resent those who are evil, believing that they are incapable of doing anything good.

So, we may not want to give them the respect and honour they deserve, if they happen to be in a position of authority over us.But the fact that someone is evil does not mean that God cannot borrow them to do good. God can borrow them to do good and He does sometimes borrow evil people to do good. That, of course, does not change the fact that they are evil and will ultimately be judged as such, if they never repent from their evil till they die. But if they are the only tool available for Him to do certain good things He wants to do for mankind, He may not hesitate to borrow and use them.

Also, the fact that someone is evil does not mean that the person does not deserve our respect. The word of God tells us to show proper respect to everyone. So, even if someone is evil, as long as he is occupying a position of authority or advantage, give him the respect and honour he deserves. It is not because of him that you are doing that; rather, it is because God, who has permitted him to be in that position, has ordered you to do so. And by obeying Him, you will be making it easy for Him to borrow him to do you good, even though he is a wicked person. (Cf. 1Pet 1:13-17)

At least, as we are shown in Scriptures, one of the reasons God places people in positions of authority is that He may use them to do good to those under them. And all that He wants from those under such people is to be submissive to them, based on the measure of their authority. That way, even if they are wicked and unreasonable, He will have just reasons to borrow and use them to do good to those under them or to replace them, if they will not allow themselves to be used by Him.

But if those under authority will not be submissive to their leaders, in line with the will of God, even if all those who are leading them are good and righteous people, God may not be able to use them to make life sweet or safe for them. So, don’t look at the goodness or evil in the lives of those who have authority over you before you submit to them. Instead, submit to them because God has ordered you to do so. Also, don’t insist that it is only good people that God should use to do you good. Otherwise, you may have to wait forever for that to happen. Instead, respect God’s wisdom in determining whom He uses in helping or saving you. And as long as He is the one working, He will not offer you corrupt help or salvation, even if He has to use an evil person. Cheers!

Categories
FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 Pastor's Desk

Make a reality of it | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: January 14, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 37

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours immeasurably from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to the third week of this year, year 2024. And I pray that God will grant you speed in accomplishing every good desire He places in your heart in the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we all can see, this year is gradually going from being a new year to an old one. So, if there is any good thing God has placed in our hearts to do in the year, now is the time to begin to make effort towards doing it. Jesus once said this to His disciples: “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) Did you see that? We don’t have all the time in the world to carry out any good desire or dream that we have for this year. So, unless we begin to work right away towards making a reality of it, night will come upon us before we know it and we will realise that the year is gone and the good things we wish to do have not been accomplished.

Now only God knows how many nights have come upon us in the past and have left us without a realisation of our good desires and dreams. And the night of this year too will come and leave us without a realisation of our good desires, if we will not immediately begin to work towards making a reality of them. As we see in the bible, Jacob, having served Laban for some years, woke up one morning and realised that he had not been doing anything for himself and his growing family. All he had been doing was working for his uncle and father-in-law, eating and drinking whatever he gave him and giving birth to children.

But what if the man got angry with him one day and decided to drive him away? How would he continue to take care of his family? Or what if the man suddenly fell ill and died? Would his sons share his inheritance with him? Even if they did, would whatever they gave him be enough to start life afresh and care for his large family? Those, I believe, were the thoughts that began to ran through Jacob’s mind at that time. And he must have concluded that if, having worked for Laban all those years, he still could not take care of his family without the man’s support, then, he needed to leave him and find something else to do with his life. (Cf. Gen 30:25-30)

However, Jacob did not just desire to leave Laban in order to prepare for the future of his family, he also took steps to make that desire a reality. How? He boldly met Laban and told him what he had decided to do. Yes, Laban was his uncle. He was also his father-in-law, the father of his two lovely wives. But we are talking here about his future and the future of his wives and children. So, he would not allow sentiments to keep him from doing what was right for them. Of course, we would not know how long he pondered on this matter before taking steps about it. But we do know from scriptures that right after his eleventh son, Joseph, was born, he told himself that he had had enough – he needed to turn his desire into a reality.

How, then did Laban respond to what Jacob told him? Did he get angry with him and tell to go to hell? No! Instead, he pleaded with him not to go but to stay with him and name his wages. Why? It was because he himself knew that he had been cheating him all along and not giving him what he deserved for his hard labour for him. That, of course, was the beginning of Jacob’s prosperity, as the account further shows us. And by the time he was eventually leaving Laban, he had become a very wealthy man. (Cf. Gen 30-31)

But what if Jacob had not seen the need for him to prepare for the future of his family at the time he did? Would he not have been thrown out of Laban’s household empty-handed one day? Surely, he would have been thrown out of his house empty-handed one day. And what if he had not acted on his desire to do what was right for his family? Would he still not have been disgraced out of Laban’s household one day? Most likely, he would have someday been disgraced out of that house by the man’s sons.

So, first, it is important that we have the right thought or desire about where we should be or what should be happening in our lives this new year. But that is not enough. We must also immediately begin to boldly take the right steps towards making our desire become a reality, even when doing so may get some people offended. Otherwise, stagnation or disgrace may end up being our lot in the year. My prayer, then, is that God will open your eyes to see all the areas of your life in which you are due for elevation and in which you need to take steps for a glorious future and also equip you with everything you need to take the right steps towards making these things a reality this new year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2024, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Don’t take advantage of them | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: January 10, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 35

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“…and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you.” (1Thess 4:6NIV)

In what matters are we not to wrong or take advantage of our neighbours? In matters relating to sex! Paul starts his admonition in the passage from which our opening text is taken by telling his readers that the will of God for them is to abstain from sexual immorality. And how are we to do that, seeing that we are living a world that is saturated with all kinds of immoral acts? According to him, it is by learning to control of bodies in ways that are holy and honourable, as those who know and fear God. (Cf. 1Thess 4:3-5)

But then, we have to deal with the fact that there may be times in which we have to relate to people who are weak in controlling their sexual appetites or who are ignorant of what could lead them into sexual sins or who are going through situations that could expose them to sexual sins. And what are we to do at such times? Are we to see in them opportunities for free or cheap sexual relations? No! Instead, we are to show that we fear God by refusing to take advantage of them.

For example, as we see in the bible, Potiphar’s wife was an emotionally weak woman. Otherwise, she would not stoop as low as to want to have sexual relations with her husband’s slave. But did Joseph take advantage of her? No! Did he see her weakness as an opportunity to have some cheap sex? No! Instead, he did all he could to make sure that they were never alone together. And even when the woman attempted to rape him, he lost no time to make good his escape. Why? He feared God. Therefore, he was eventually honoured and elevated by Him, even though he had to suffer unjustly for a while. (Cf. Gen 39)

In like manner, if you are dealing with someone of the opposite sex that is emotionally weak, always wanting your sympathy or wanting to hold, touch, embrace or be with you for no legitimate reason, don’t get carried away and take advantage of the situation. You can already see that they are weak. So, if you cannot help them, then, don’t abuse or take advantage of them. Otherwise, God, as Paul shows us in our opening text, will not fail to punish you accordingly.

Also, don’t use people’s desperation, loss or low position in life to take advantage of them. You know that they need your help, healing or comfort or that they cannot move to another level of success without you. So, instead of truly helping, healing or comforting them or instead of making their trip to higher grounds easy for them, you begin to seek how to take advantage of them sexually. You are wrong and are sinning against God. And that will surely come with grave consequences.

Mind you, it is not only in sex matters that we can take advantage of others. Even in matters concerning material things, we can take advantage of them. If, for instance, we know that someone is weak in saying ‘No’ to us, whether out of respect for us or out of deep affection for us, we can take advantage of that and be taking from them things we have no right to take from them or be pressuring them to do things their hearts don’t want to do. That is evil, a sort of witchcraft. And God will judge sooner or later, if repentance is delayed.

Also, we can take advantage of people’s miseries to receive from them what we don’t deserve to have. Our Lord Jesus, for example, rebuked the Jewish religious leaders of His time for devouring widows’ houses. How were they devouring their houses? By playing on their emotions! We all know that widows are bound to have moments of loneliness, moments in which they may want someone, anyone, to comfort them. And that is what those Jewish religious leaders often capitalised on. They would go to widows’ houses in the name of bringing them comfort and have long prayer sessions there. But they weren’t really there to comfort them, as our Lord points out, but to devour their wealth or inheritance. (Cf. Matt 23:14; Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47)

Think about it yourself. Would you allow a man of God, who had spent two or three hours praying with you in your house, to go empty-handed? No! Instead, you would want to find something for him. And if you happened to be rich, you would do your best to load him money and other things. That, of course, was what those Jewish religious leaders were looking forward to by visiting the widows of their time. They were simply looking for ways to take advantage of their emotional situations to extort them or to even sleep with them. And our Lord Jesus says that people who do such things will receive greater condemnation.

Well, the point I am making is that we should watch ourselves in our dealings with those who are weak emotionally or in character and those who are desperate, so that we don’t take advantage of them for any reason. Otherwise, the condemnation that will follow may ruin everything good in our lives.

Copyright © 2024, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
Pastor's Desk

Regardless of their attitude | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: January 07, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 36

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

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to this new year, year 2024. And I pray that God will fulfil every good thing He has in mind for you in the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Of first importance, we ought to give thanks to God for the privilege of witnessing this new year. There were some who desired to witness it but who are no longer here with us today. And that is not because they were the worst among human beings. It may be because their time was up or because Satan succeeded in getting them to die before their time or because they exposed themselves to God’s judgment for wasting His grace over their lives. Whatever the case may be, what is clear is that we are alive to witness this new year because God has chosen to favour us and to give us more time to live to bring Him praise. And that gives us enough reason to be thankful to Him.

Now my admonition to you, as we begin our journey through this new year, is that you should give yourself to doing whatever good work God has assigned for you to do, regardless of the attitude of those in your world to you and what you are doing. Why? It is because it is by doing every good thing He wants you to do just the way He wants you to do it that His glory will fully manifest through what you have done. And that, of course, is when you too will fully receive your reward.

For instance, it was after Noah completed the task God had given to him to build an ark that the rain that destroyed the world of his time came. And that was also when he and his household were separated from the wickedness that had made that world an unsafe place to live in. But then, Noah had to build the ark according to the directives God had given him. Otherwise, even though he and his family had entered it, they would not have been saved after all. So, doing all that God wants us to do is not enough for us to experience His glory, promotion or salvation. We also have to do everything according to His will. Otherwise, there may be no profit for us at all for doing His work. (Cf. Gen 6-7)

Also, as we see in the bible, it was when Moses completed the task of building the tabernacle of God, just the way God had told him to do it, that the glory of God came upon it. His glory did not come upon it until it was completed and completed according to the will of God. So, the reason you have not experienced the glory of God as you should in certain areas of your life may just be that you have not done all that God requires you to do for that glory to manifest or that you are not doing what He wants you to do according to His will. If you will get busy, then, to do all that He requires of you in accordance with His will, you will surely witness the full manifestation of the glory that ought to follow. (Cf. Exodus 40)

But then, we must also keep in mind the fact that we may be discouraged from carrying out and completing the tasks God has given to us by those around us. For example, their unbelief or hostility may want to discourage us. Remember that when Jesus went to His hometown, He could not do many mighty works among them because of their unbelief and hostility. In fact, the bible says that He was amazed at their unbelief. But did He allow that to discourage Him and keep Him from continuing the task God had given to Him? No! Instead, He continued to go around to teach and to heal from place to place. That was because He knew that He must finish the task God had given to Him, whether people welcomed and believed in Him or not. (Cf. Mark 6:1-6)

Apart from the hostility or unbelief of men, their ingratitude may also want to fill our hearts with discouragement and keep us from carrying out and finishing the tasks God has given to us. For instance, on one occasion, it was only one out of certain ten lepers that Jesus had healed that came back to thank Him. And He was surprised that the remaining nine people did not come back at all to just say ‘Thank you sir’. But did He allow that to discourage Him and keep Him from healing others who came to Him? No! Why? It was because He knew that the one that would ultimately thank Him for all He was doing was the one who sent Him, that is, God. (Cf. Luke 17:11-19)

In like manner, even if people reject us, abuse us or fail to appreciate us for what God is doing through us this year, we must not lose heart and abandon His work or righteous living. Instead, we must make up our minds that we will take advantage of His grace to do everything He wants us to do in the year in accordance with His will for us, regardless of how people relate to us. That way, He will be able to fully accomplish His will through us and we also will be in a position to be rewarded by Him. And my prayer is that you will be strengthened to act according to these words in living for God and in serving Him this year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Happy new year.

Copyright © 2024, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Adjusted circumstances|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: January 03, 2024|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 34

“By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” (Ex 13:21-22NIV)

Who is the text above referring to? It is the children of Israel that Moses led out of Egypt. And what is the point being communicated to us about them in the text? It is that they functioned under adjusted circumstances in order to safely get to the land of rest that God was taking them.As we see in the text, when these Israelites came out of Egypt, God provided a pillar of cloud to be over them during the day and a pillar of fire to be over them during the night.

Why? First, it was to give them guidance. Why did they need guidance? It was because they did not know the way to the place God was taking them. Yes, they knew that God was taking them to a place of rest, a land flowing with milk and honey. But how would they get there? They did not know. They needed God Himself, then, to guide them moment by moment till they arrived there safely. And did He guide them or not? He did guide them by providing a pillar of cloud to lead them in the way they should go during the day and a pillar of fire to lead them in the way they should go during the night.

So, when these pillars moved, they also moved and moved in whatever direction the pillars went. And when these pillars stopped moving, they also stopped moving and camped wherever the pillars stopped. That was how God guided them all through the time they spent in the desert until they came into the promised land. So, they were never clueless or ignorant of the direction they should go. (Cf. Deut 9:15-23)

Now God, of course, does not guide anyone in this manner anymore. But He is still devoted to guiding those who commit their lives to Him in the path they should follow to be established in His rest and prosperity. How? Basically, He guides them through His word and by His Spirit. There are also times that He guides them through life’s circumstances, visions, dreams, angelic visitations, prophecies and direct revelations of Himself.

We, however, don’t have to wait for any of these before we daily receive God’s guidance. We just need to give ourselves to reading, studying and meditating on His word. And He, by His Spirit that He has put in us, will teach us what is best for us in life and guide us in the way we should go. That being the case, we too, like those Israelites of old, will never be clueless where others are or be ignorant of which direction we should be going in life where others are ignorant of it.

The second reason God provided the pillar of cloud by the day and that of fire by the night for those children of Israel was that they may be able to travel anytime without hindrance. That explains why the Egyptians who were pursuing them could not move at their pace or catch up with them. Though they were moving at the same time and in the same place, they were operating under different circumstances. Why? It was because God adjusted the circumstances of the time and the place to favour the Israelites. (Cf: Ex 14)

In addition to that, God provided the pillar of cloud by the day for those people to protect them from the intense heat of the desert. Therefore, they could move around freely in the desert without fainting. Also, He provided the pillar of fire for them by the night to give them warmth, so that the cold of the night would not make them sick. And what do you call that? Adjusted circumstances! Now does God still adjust or tune life’s circumstances to favour men? Yes, He still does. He still adjusts life’s circumstances, so that those He favours can be guided, protected or granted speed for accomplishment where others are terrified or clueless.

And all that we need to see Him adjust the circumstances of life that are bound to make others fail, perish or stagnate for our good is to humbly entrust our lives and all that concerns us to Him. That way, even if where we are now is a desert, a dry and weary land in which there is no water, God will adjust the circumstances there to favour us and see us protected and prosperous.A word of caution, however: Always be careful to function only within the boundaries of the circumstances God has placed you in life.

Yes, if those circumstances are not favourable enough, you should talk to God about adjusting or changing them for you. But don’t ever try to run your life on the basis of the circumstances others have been placed in. Otherwise, you may have yourself ruined where they have excelled. Remember that the Egyptians tried to pass through the same Red Sea the Israelites passed through and at the same time. Yet all of them perished there.

Why? The simple reason was that though they were passing through the same place at the same time, the circumstances under which they were doing so were adjusted only for the Israelites and not for them. So, be discerning. Don’t foolishly copy or imitate anyone, just because you think you are operating under the same circumstances. You may just not be operating under the same circumstances. And if you copy them, where that is the case, you may end up having yourself to blame, if you are not shown mercy.Be discerning, then, my friend.

Categories
General Post

WELCOME TO 2024 – BE DETERMINED


Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be immeasurably yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to this new year, year 2024. And I pray that God will keep your heart occupied with gladness all through the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, as we begin this new year, you need to be determined to live in the fullness of God’s will, regardless of the current circumstances of your life. Otherwise, the gift of the year to you may just end up being a waste. Look at Daniel, for example. Even though he found himself in the land of slavery, against his wish, he was still determined to live in the will of God.

The bible says, “But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king…” (Dan 1:8NLT) Did you see that? Young Daniel was determined not to have his life messed up in any way, even though he was a slave in a strange land. And because he was determined to honour God with his life, He caused him to be highly favoured by all the kings he worked with. So, he went on to become a powerful force to be reckoned in the entire Babylonian realm for decades. (Cf. Dan 1-6)

So, I am not saying that it is enough to be determined to do the will of God. However determined we are about doing His will, if He does not furnish us with the strength and favour to do so, we will not be able to do so. That is because doing the will of God does not depend human desire or effort but on God’s mercy. And someone like Peter had to learn that the hard way. (Cf. Matt 26:69-75; Rom 9:16)

Nevertheless, it is important that we first show that we are determined to do His will. Then we can expect Him to furnish us with all that we need to do it. Those who have no determination to do His will are probably expecting Him to be pushing them to do what they do not want to do. But He rarely does that. And even if He has to push us to do what we do not want to do, we may end up being injured in the process. So, if we want God’s favour to freely flow in enabling us to do His will, our hearts must love and be determined to do what He wants.

Then we must also be determined to take God’s provisions for us and to make the most of them. Otherwise, Satan will see to it that we have no access to what is ours to possess and enjoy. Look at what is said about the people of Manasseh and the inheritance given to them by God in the land of Canaan: “But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land.” (Judg 1:27NIV)

Think about that. Even though God had already given the inheritance of the people of Manasseh to them, they still failed to completely drive out the people originally living there. So, they ended up cohabiting with them, making it possible for those people to corrupt them with their idols. Why was that so? It was so because the determination of those people to stay in the land was greater than the determination of the people of Manasseh to drive them out of it.

So, if our determination to take hold of God’s provisions for our fruitfulness and prosperity and utilise them is not greater than Satan’s determination to keep us from accessing and enjoying them, we may end up not being all that we can be and not enjoying all that we can enjoy in this life. All of this is why our Lord Jesus tells us that men ought to always pray and not give up. It is also why He tells us to pray until our joy is full. (Cf. Luke 18L1l John 16:24)

That means as long as we are not yet where God wants us to be and enjoying all that He wants us to enjoy, we must not resign. We must not stop praying. We must not stop declaring God’s word over our lives and affairs. And we must not stop practising righteousness. Yes, Satan and his agents may be doing all that they can to frustrate us or to keep us from accessing and enjoying God’s provisions for us. But as long as we remain resolute to have and enjoy all that God wants us to have and to become all that He wants us to become, nothing will be able to stop the flow of His grace in our lives and affairs.

I welcome you once again into this new year. And I pray that your heart will be renewed with sufficient determination, courage and strength to go for all that God wants you to have in the year and possess and enjoy it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Happy 2024!

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 Pastor's Desk

He has gone ahead of you | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 31, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 35

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to the last Sunday of this year, which also happens to be the very last day of the year. And I pray that God will fill your heart with all joy and peace throughout day and as we cross over into a new year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we are about to move into a new year, I want to admonish you with some of the words of Moses to the children of Israel, as they were about to cross over into the Promised Land, which say:

“The LORD your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the LORD said.” (Deut 31:3NIV)

Who would cross over ahead of those Israelites into the land they wanted to possess? First, it was the Lord their God Himself that would cross over ahead of them. Why? It was to handle anyone or anything that may want to prevent them from entering the land and possessing it for their prosperity and enjoyment. Therefore, even though they did not know all the challenges and opportunities they would be confronted with in the land, they could confidently go into it, knowing that God was already there to take care of everything for their good. And that was exactly what happened. They confidently went into the land and took possession of it, to the glory of God and for their enjoyment.

In like manner, since we too have the same God that went ahead of these Israelites to take possession of that land flowing with milk and honey as our God, we should also calm our hearts, knowing that He has already crossed over into the new year we are about to enter for us. And why has He crossed over into it ahead of us? It is to make sure nothing prevents us from possessing and enjoying every good thing He has deposited in it for us.

Therefore, let us drop whatever fear we have of the new year we are moving into and confidently go into it. That is because it is going to be a more glorious year for us and our families. It will be a year in which God will cause all the good things He has deposited in our lives for our prosperity to manifest. And it will be a year in which He will lead us to possess and enjoy the best that He has deposited in our land for us. We just need to cooperate with Him, and we will surely enjoy all that He has in store for us.

Then, as Moses also pointed out to those Israelites, there was still another person that would cross over ahead of them into the Promised Land. That person was Joshua. And who was Joshua? Joshua was the man ordained and equipped by God to lead them to take possession of the land that He was giving them. That means he was God’s human representative or messenger assigned to help all of them until they were established in the land. And did he do his job well or not? He did it well. He led them and fought and won with them until each of them received his own inheritance and settled in it.

In the same vein, I want you to know that God has already assigned and sent helpers ahead of us into the new year we are moving into. Why? It is so that they will work with us and support us until His good purpose for our lives is fully accomplished. What we need is just to recognise every one of such helpers and humbly allow them to do in our lives and to our lives what God has sent them to do. Doing their job, of course, may shake us out of our comfort zone. But if we will cooperate with them, in accordance with the will of God, their presence in our lives can only result in the manifestation of the glory of God in the year.

So, look forward to an exciting new year, regardless of what your current situation may be at the moment. My prayer is that your heart will be strengthened to cooperate with God and all the people He may want to use for you in the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Happy New Year in advance.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

What it is your motivation? | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 27, 2023 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 33

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.” (Eccl 4:4NLT)

We have, by the grace of God, come to another year-end. And as it should be, this is a time in which people should settle down to see how their lives have fared in the year. But while it is important that we settle down to evaluate our lives and affairs to see how things have been with us in the year, the yardsticks we use in doing so are even more important. That is the because the yardsticks we use in evaluating ourselves are what will determine whether our evaluation will be true, objective and reliable as a point of reference or not.

Now among the yardsticks people use in evaluating themselves is the measure of success or failure of their neighbours. And when we are talking about ‘neighbours’ in this sense, we are referring to anyone close enough to us to get our attention. So, that person may be a friend, a sibling, a colleague at work or in school, a church member or a business competitor. Whoever the person is to us, what is happening in their life is important enough to get our attention and make us judge ourselves as progressive, stagnant or retrogressive.

But is it right for us to judge ourselves as a success or a failure on the basis of what is happening or has happened in other people’s lives, even if those people are our blood relatives? No! Why? It is because the word of God says so. Look at the way it puts it: “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.” (2Cor 10:12NIV)

Did you see that? It is a foolish thing to judge ourselves according to human standards. Yes, it is a foolish thing to compare our lives with the lives of others in order to determine whether our lives are doing well or not. Why? First, it is because God, who created all of us, has made each of us differently, with different potential and abilities. Second, it is because the circumstances of our lives are different, regardless of how closely related or bonded we may be. Therefore, God’s expectations on every life are different.

Since God’s expectations on every life are different, it follows, then, that He will be rating how each of us is doing in life according to those expectations. So, it is how well we meet up with His expectations on our lives that will say whether He will consider us to be a success or a failure, not how well we meet up with what is going in others’ lives or how better we do than them.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, most people evaluate their lives according to what is going on in the lives of others around them. Therefore, as Solomon tells us in our opening text, their motivation for success in life is envy, the envy of their neighbour. There is, of course, a good side to envy. That is when you envy certain attributes of success or devotion to doing what is right that you see in others, so that you can emulate them. But anything that goes beyond that is of the evil one.

What we are saying is that if the reason you want to be whatever you want to be or have whatever you want to have in life is that you are envious of someone, then, you are missing it. You are simply chasing the wind. In other words, you are going after the impossible. You cannot be another person, however hard you try. And you can never have what another person has unless you steal or buy it from them. Then, even if you possess for yourself what belongs to another person, you can never enjoy it the way they have enjoyed it or will enjoy it. That is because life is designed for each of us to enjoy differently, according to the measure of grace measured out to us by God.

So, stop drawing your motivation from what is happening in other people’s lives but from God’s expectations on your life. That way, you will not be evaluating your life according to their success or failure. This, then, means that you need to know God’s expectations on your life. And you can know them by giving yourself to His word, by praying to Him and also by fellowshipping with others who know Him. My prayer is that you will be guided and strengthened to evaluate your life in this light this year-end, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Be thoughtful in appreciation|Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: December 20, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 32

“When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?” So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!'” “Go at once,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.”” (Est 6:6-10NIV)

The bible passage above is clearly a familiar one to many readers of the bible. And it speaks of how the great King Xerxes appreciated and honoured a Jew called Mordecai. As the story goes, Mordecai once exposed certain officers of this king that had plotted to assassinate him. Why did they plot to assassinate him? We are not told in the account. But we are told that Mordecai found out about them and was discreet enough to expose them before they were able to carry out their wicked plot or escape. (Cf. Esther 2:21-23)

However, as the account also further reveals, Xerxes did not appreciate Mordecai at all for this act of kindness done to him. Yes, what he did was recorded in the book of the annals of his kingdom right before him. Nonetheless, he did nothing to appreciate him. Why? We would not know. Maybe he did not consider what he did as anything special at the time. Or maybe he was just in a prolonged bad mood. We wouldn’t know.But there came a time when Mordecai really needed this man to return the favour and spare his life and the lives of his people too.

That, of course, was when God, who does not forget people and who knows how to turn people’s mistakes or omissions around for the good of His people, brought about circumstances that drove this king to revisit the matter. And when he did, he himself was surprised that he did nothing to appreciate Mordecai for his act of kindness and faithfulness to him and the realm. So, he immediately began to think of how best to reward him.Well, as he thought hard about how best to reward Mordecai, that is, in accordance with his own status as an emperor, his most beloved official, Haman, came in. It was he, then, that helped this king in properly dealing with the matter.

Of course, he came up with what he came up with because he had arrogantly thought that the reward was coming to him. But the fact that he put himself in the picture helped in coming up with a sort of appreciation that the king himself could not resist or reject. It was just perfect for him.What, then, is the account teaching us? First, it is that we should learn not to overlook people’s acts of kindness to us. Instead, we should appreciate them on time, that is, when it will make the most sense.

Otherwise, we may end up having God drive us to do what we have neglected to do, in a more expensive or grand way. Looking again at Xerxes’ case: if he had appreciated Mordecai immediately after he saved his life, he may not have needed to go through the trouble of treating him like an emperor. Delayed appreciation, then, will most likely cost you more. So, don’t delay or defer giving appreciation to whom it is due. And even if, for some reasons, you failed to appreciate certain people you should have appreciated, you should still appreciate them the moment your error is brought to your notice.

Why? It is better late than never. Another important lesson from this bible story is the need for us to be thoughtful in appreciating others. Don’t be involved in giving useless or meaningless appreciation or gifts to people. Instead, always be thoughtful about what you want to do. Appreciating people is never mainly about money but about our thoughtfulness in doing it. That great king, Xerxes, did not spend money in appreciating Mordecai. But the kind of appreciation he gave to him was more than what anyone in his kingdom could hope for in a lifetime. He made him wear his royal robe, ride his royal horse and wear his royal crest on his head. Then he had him led through the royal city by his most dignified official, with the herald ‘This is how the king treats the man he honours.’ That, of course, changed Mordecai’s status in the realm for the rest of his life.

So, it is not mainly about how much we are able to spend in appreciating those who have done us good in life. It is mainly about being thoughtful. It is mainly about carefully considering the best way to appreciate them, in the light of what they have done for us and also in the light of our own status. And if we know how to think well about ourselves, as Haman did, we should have no problem coming up with truly nice and pleasant ways of appreciating people. Will you try this, then, as we come to the last days of this year, as we come to this season of thanksgiving and appreciation? And may God load you with sufficient wisdom, determination and resources to appreciate well all the people that deserve your appreciation at this time, in Jesus’ name. Amen.