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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Don’t be a stumbling block | Pst. J.O. Lawal | April 06, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus. | Vol. 4, No. 47

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” (Matt 23:13NIV)

What is the Lord accusing the Jewish religious leaders of in our opening bible text? He is accusing them of being stumbling blocks to the people of God. But how are they being stumbling blocks to them? It is by preventing them from doing the will of God through their teachings, practices and traditions.

As the Lord points out, it is bad enough that these leaders have no intention to do the will of God in their personal lives and affairs. But by deliberately doing things that will keep others also from doing His will, they are heaping up His wrath on themselves. And that is why the Lord says, “Woe to you…” In other words, it will be much worse for these religious leaders than the people they are misleading when God’s judgment eventually comes.

What is the point of this, then? It is that we need to be careful not to be a stumbling block to anyone that wants to do the will of God, just because we ourselves do not want to do it. But why will any child of God not want to do the will of his Father? The reason may be fear, selfishness, envy, pride or complacency. Whatever it may be, we must let it stop with us, if we will not repent of it, and not spread it to others. Otherwise, God will see to it that we surely get the punishment we deserve for sponsoring or encouraging rebellion against Him.

For example, why would Korah, Dathan and Abiram not accept the leadership of Moses and Aaron? Envy! And if they had allowed their envy to live and die in them and among them, God may have spared them. But they allowed it to spread to several other leaders of the people, so that their rebellion against the will of God began to gain ground. Therefore, God judged them in a most remarkable way. He made the ground swallow them and their families and possessions up. When next you, then, think of sponsoring others in rebellion against God, whether in the church or elsewhere, think also of these men. (Cf. Numbers 16)

Also, why would the Jewish leaders not accept Jesus as their Messiah? Pride! Envy! Greed! Stubbornness! They knew somewhere in their hearts that He was the real deal and that accepting Him was the will of God for them. But they would not accept Him for the reasons I already mentioned. Instead, they began to prevent their people too from accepting Him as their Messiah. Therefore, it would be much worse for them than all the people they hindered on the day of God’s righteous judgment. And if you too, because of greed, stubbornness, pride or envy, have been working against others’ acceptance of the truth of God where you are, know that your sin will surely find you out someday, if you fail to repent on time.

Furthermore, why did ten out of the twelve spies sent out by Moses to spy Canaan not want to go up and take over the land? Fear! Unbelief! And if they had kept their fear and unbelief to themselves, God might have spared them. But they poisoned the whole nation of Israel with these things. Therefore, they were the first to die of a plague before the Lord that very day. (Cf. Numbers 13 & 14)

So, you really need to be careful what you spread among people, especially God’s people. Be careful that you are not spreading things that will promote unbelief, bitterness, fear or rebellion among them. Otherwise, you may end your life before you start enjoying it.

Then, be careful not to allow anyone to discourage you from doing the will of God because of their own personal problems with God or men. In other words, don’t make anybody’s fear your fear, their bitterness your bitterness or their rebellion your rebellion. Or else, on the day they are judged for their wickedness, you too may not be spared.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com  or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

Inspire them to activate His blessings | Pst. J.O. Lawal | April 03, 2022 | Vol. 10, No. 48

Beloved: grace and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to another month of this year, the month of April. And I pray that you will witness a full expression of the blessings of God in your life all through the month, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we are rightly told in the bible, God has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:3). So, no one can bring you any more blessing or any special blessing or a greater blessing other than what God has already given you. You already have all the blessings you are ever going to need in this life to be all that you can be and enjoy yourself to the full.

However, since blessings are basically spiritual, we must know how to activate them, so that our experience of them will not be limited to the realm of the spirit. In other words, we need to witness manifestations of the blessings we have already received from God in the natural realm as well. Otherwise, those in our world will not think of us as blessed and we ourselves will not fully enjoy our earthly lives as blessed people.

How, then, do we activate the blessings of God? First, we can activate them by saying the same thing in agreement with Him about our lives and also acting accordingly. That means when we are saying the same thing God is saying about our righteousness, peace, health, prosperity, safety and other beautiful things of this life and also taking steps in agreement with what we are saying, we are activating His blessings. And sooner or later, we will begin to witness in the natural realm what is already true about our lives in the spirit realm.

Second, we can activate God’s blessings through prayer. Jesus says, “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be full.” That means through prayer we are able to receive in the natural realm an experience of what God has already given to us in the spiritual realm. And this, according to the Lord Jesus, is one way to make our joy full over various matters of our lives. (Cf. John 16:24)

Another way to activate God’s blessings in our lives is to have others, especially those who have some form of authority over our lives, to proclaim His blessings on us. Don’t forget that I already said no one can give us greater, better or more blessings other than what God has already given us. However, some people, because God has given them some form of authority over us, can activate certain blessings of His that are already ours through their words of prayer. Then we will begin to witness manifestations of those blessings in our lives.

What I am saying is that people with legitimate authority over our lives, such as our parents, church leaders, husbands, employers, bosses at work and even traditional or political leaders, can activate certain blessings of God in our lives through their heartfelt words of prayer. This is why we must learn to make them happy, in accordance with the will of God, so that they will regularly be moved in their hearts to proclaim God’s blessings over us.

For example, though the blessing given to Abraham was already resting on his family, it had to be activated in the life of each of his descendants for them to experience it. In Isaac’s case, for example, it was his obedience to God in a time of severe famine that activated that blessing for his financial prosperity in life (Gen 26). Then his prayer for his wife activated it against their barrenness and made them fruitful (Gen 25:21). But in Esau’s case, it was Isaac’s heartfelt proclamation of that blessing on him that was supposed to activate it. So, he was instructed by Isaac to prepare a delicious meal that would make him so happy that he would activate the blessing of his father in his life by praying specially for him. And though Esau was not the one that eventually obtained that blessing, Jacob, who did, did not fail to make their father, Isaac, happy through the meal he brought to him. So, he got the blessing activated in his life through Isaac’s word of blessing, and his life never remained the same again from that moment on.

In like manner, if we too will learn to make those with authority over our lives happy through the things we do for them and to them, often, we will find that they are inspired to say to us things that will activate certain blessings of God in our lives, so that we can begin to witness their physical manifestations. But if we think that their words of blessing don’t mean much, perhaps because of our knowledge of the fact that we have already received all of heaven’s blessings from God, then, there are manifestations of those blessings of God that we may never see in our entire lifetime. Let us, therefore, learn from Jacob and regularly consider how we may inspire those with authority over us to activate God’s blessings in our lives. And may God humble our hearts to take this seriously, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a great week.  

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Don’t follow the path of rebellion | Pst. J.O. Lawal | March 30, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Vol. 4, No. 46

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who observed my commands and statutes.” (1Kings 11:34NIV)

There are indeed times that God chooses people to change things or set things right in a place, so that He may bring comfort and rest to the afflicted. But He will never choose the path of rebellion for such individuals to attain the position He wants them to occupy. That is because rebellion is contrary to His nature. And anyone who follows its path will certainly be punished by Him for it, sooner or later, even if the person succeeds in their rebellion. (Cf. Rom 13:1-2)

Look at David, for example. Though God anointed him to be king in place of Saul, while Saul was still alive, he did not follow the path of rebellion to take over. Yes, twice he had very rare opportunities to end Saul’s life and become king in his stead. But he would not utilise those opportunities. Why? He knew that there was no way he would go by the way of rebellion in removing the Lord’s anointed from office and not suffer for it at some point. (Cf. 1Sam 24&26)

So, he told his men, who were urging him to seize the moments and kill Saul, to calm down and wait for the Lord Himself to remove the man at His right time. That way, they would not be guilty of rebellion and bloodshed. And that was exactly what happened. God removed Saul in His own time and in His own way. So, David was able to take what belonged to him without following the path of rebellion and sinning against God. 

In the same vein, you too, against all odds, can become all that God wants you to be without following the path of rebellion, treachery or bloodshed. All you need is trust Him to fulfil His word or promise concerning you. And you will find that He does not disappoint, if you will be patient with Him.

Now, of course, I am not saying that people, even those that God has specially chosen for certain tasks, cannot succeed at all by following the path of rebellion. They can. But their rebellion can only work if the time set by God for them to take charge has already come. Otherwise, it will not work but simply result in their shame or destruction.

Why, according to bible accounts, did Hazael succeed in his rebellion against his master, Ben-Hadad, killing him and becoming king in his stead? Was it simply because God had chosen him to be king after his master? No! Rather, it was because his master’s time was already up on God’s schedule of things. Otherwise, he would have been terribly hurt or destroyed in his rebellion. (Cf. 2Kings 8:7-15)

Also, why was Darius’ rebellion against King Belshazzar a success? It was because God had already announced that the latter’s time was up. Otherwise, that rebellion would have ended up being a disaster. (Cf. Dan 5)

But the case wasn’t the same for Jeroboam, Solomon’s servant that God anointed to take away the larger part of the kingdom from his family. God had to expressly tell this man through the prophet that ordained him that He had made Solomon ruler all the days of his life. And why did He tell him this? It was so that Jeroboam would understand that if he should try to take over from Solomon through rebellion, it would never work. So, he would need to wait until this king died a natural death before he could become what God had chosen him for. (Cf. 1Kings 11:26-40)

But what if that truth had not been revealed to Jeroboam? Given the kind of person he was, he would most likely have attempted a coup. And that may have cost him even his very life. This explains why some, who really could have been used by God to make life better for their people, never made it. Instead of waiting for God to clear the way for them in His own time to be where He wanted them, they went through the path of rebellion, met with forces too powerful for them to handle and got ruined in the process.

You, however, do not have to be like them. And surely, you do not need any revelation from God to know that it is foolishness to take the path of rebellion in order to accomplish His purpose for your life. That is because there are already enough revelations about this in the bible. What you simply need to do is to take them seriously and act on them. In other words, let God Himself get you to wherever He has promised to take you instead of trying to follow the path of rebellion to get there. Otherwise, you may end up never making it there. And even if you make it there, your sin of rebellion will someday and somehow find you out. 

Be wise, then, and take counsel.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com  or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

The reward of the Lord’s anointed | Pst. J.O. Lawal |March 27, 2022. |Number: Vol. 10, No. 47

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours without measure from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the last week and days of the month of March 2022. I pray that God will cause His favour to overwhelm your life in the week and drive all kinds of good and wonderful things that you will never be able to get through hard work to you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now it is not enough for us to be praying to God to cause His favour to overwhelm our lives and make amazing things happen to us. It is equally important that we too are doing things that will cause His favour to work for us. And one of such things is being generous to those anointed by Him to feed us with His word, pray for us and lead us to walk in the path of His righteousness. Look at what our Lord Jesus says about this: “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” (Matt 10:40-42NIV)

Did you see that? Anyone who receives an anointed person of God because he believes that he is truly sent of God will certainly receive the reward of that anointed person. Even if it is just a cup of cold water that he gives him, he will not fail to receive his reward. What that reward will be, however, is not what anyone can say. It all depends on how God leads or moves that anointed person to bless the one involved.

For example, the reward that the Shunammite woman got from God through Elisha was a son that Satan couldn’t take away, having been barren for years (2Kings 4:8-37). Also, the reward that the widow of Zarephath got from God through Elijah was the preservation of her life and her son’s life during a terrible period of famine in their land (1Kings 17). And the reward that Mary, the sister of Martha, got from the Lord Jesus for her generosity to Him was a name that will always be mentioned and praised in God’s kingdom and wherever the gospel is preached (Matt 26:6-13).   

So, no one can actually predict how God will reward those who relate in generosity to His servants. But He will surely reward them with things that money, hard work or intelligence can never get. Unfortunately, many of us are missing these things not because we cannot have them but because we are stingy, selfish or insensitive. What will a cup of cold water cost any of us? Nothing much! Yet many of us have been missing the rewards that could be ours just by regularly giving our men and women of God some cups of cold water. Just think about it

Now am I saying that you are to start pursuing your pastor or leader in church with cups of water everywhere he goes, whether he is thirsty or not? No! Or am I saying that as long as you are giving your church leader cups of cold water, you have done all that God requires of you? No! Of course, if all you can indeed afford to give to support your church leader or the Lord’s anointed sent to you is a cup of water, it is fine. God will surely reward you for it, according to His standards. 

But the truth is that many of us can do far better than that. And the Lord will not expect us to do any less. Otherwise, we will be cheating ourselves. Look at what He says in the Law of Moses to His people about this: “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the LORD Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.” (Mal 1:14NIV) Did you see that? Well, thank God we are not under any kind of curse because Jesus has taken care of all curses for us. However, this is written down to teach us that it is a sign of utter disrespect to God to give Him or His servants among us less than He has blessed us to give. It was, in fact, that kind of thing that got Ananias and his wife Sapphira killed instead of being greatly rewarded by Him (Acts 5:1-11).

Now my prayer is that we will not get injured, killed or demoted where we ought to have been richly rewarded by God with all kinds of beautiful things. But we too need to cultivate the right attitude in our generosity to God and to those He is using to minister to us. And may His good Spirit make this so for us, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a lovely week.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

When your survival depends on it | Pst. J.O. Lawal | March 23, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Vol. 4, No. 45

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.Then the word of the LORD came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.”” (1Kings 17:7-9NIV)

Why did Elijah go to the widow at Zarephath during the years of famine that the nation of Israel experienced in his time? It was because the Lord asked him to do so. The Lord had been supernaturally taking good care of this man during those days of famine, even though he was not working. He had been sending some birds to bring him food both in the morning and in the evening. (Cf. 1Kings 17:1-6)

So, here is our first lesson from this account: the Lord is able to take care of His people even in a time of famine, regardless of what sort of famine it may be, a famine of food and water or a famine of good jobs. He may not give them all they will need in a year at once. But He will make sure that they are well taken care of, according to every day’s need. And all He wants is for them to always put Him first and to always depend on Him absolutely for all that they need.

Our second lesson from the account is that we must learn to use our resources with an understanding of the times we are living in. God did not feed Elijah three times but two times a day during those years of famine, even though He had the power to do so. And did the man complain or grumble as a result of this? No! Instead, he received every meal, which was the same type all the time, with thanksgiving. That is contentment.

In like manner, we too must learn to be grateful for God’s provisions for us and also to be contented and wise in using them, however little they may be. So, instead of grumbling or complaining that what God is providing for you now is too small, first be thankful for it. Then, as you trust Him to supply you with more, use what He has provided with wisdom. For example, don’t consume in one day what you can actually use for three days, if well managed, and then start complaining that God is unfaithful. He is ever faithful. You are the one being foolish, not understanding how to administer God’s provisions according to life’s seasons.

Well, as the account we are considering goes, some time later, when the brook that Elijah had been drinking water from dried up, God told him to go to Zarephath because He had instructed a widow there to take care of him. So, he was not going to meet a woman that had no clue as to what God wanted her to do but one that had been well instructed by God to minister to him.

But why did God send him to this woman, when He could have kept the brook from drying up and when He could have continued to send birds to bring him food? It was because He wanted to preserve the woman and her son throughout those years of famine. Exactly what the woman did to attract God’s mercy and favour in this manner is what we are not told. But we are told that her survival and the survival of her son depended on her generosity to this man of God that was sent to her.

It was up to her, then, to either do the will of God and be preserved or do her own thing and be destroyed. Thankfully, she did the right thing. Therefore, she and her son were preserved throughout those years of famine. Not only that, her son was rescued from an unexpected death that would have taken him away from her, famine or no famine, if the man of God had not been living with them. (Cf. 1Kings 17:7-24)

In like manner, there are times in life that our survival, exaltation or fruitfulness in certain matters depends on our generosity to certain people. Some of these people, like our parents, church leaders, the poor around us and so forth, have already been revealed to us in the bible. AND WE SHOULD TAKE OUR GENEROSITY TO THEM VERY SERIOUSLY. But there are among them people that we can only recognise by divine revelations. So, our prayer should always be that God, in His kindness, will enable us to recognise such people on time and also strengthen us to do for them what He wants us to do for them, so that we can receive the reward of doing so.

However, we must not allow anybody to use this story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath as a tool for manipulating, threatening or pressuring us to do for them what we are not convinced in our hearts that we should be doing. Even if we are convinced in our hearts that it is the will of God for us to be generous to someone, our generosity to them has to come from a willing and cheerful heart. Otherwise, there will be no reward from God to us for doing so. (Cf. 2Cor 9:6-7)

The widow of Zarephath was not manipulated, coerced or threatened by Elijah to do what she did. Rather, she did what she did because God had already spoken to her about it. So, if God has not plainly revealed it in Scriptures or spoken to you through a revelation about giving to someone or supporting them, don’t give in to any manipulation, threat or pressure to do so. And may you be kept from any devourer that may way to prey on your life or soul on account of this, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Don’t be used by them | Pst. J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: March 16, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 44

“On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.” (Matt 14:6-12NIV)

The bible story of the death of John the Baptist is another confirmation of Jesus’ words that men love darkness instead of light because their works are evil (John 3:19). John the Baptist was evidently a man of God, a true prophet of God. That was, in fact, the reputation he had among his people, the Jews. Therefore, though he stayed mostly in the wilderness, many continually went to him to hear the word of God, to confess their sins and to be baptised in water as a pledge from a heart that is ready to give up sins and live for God.

Now, in his quest to see the land rid of unrighteousness, John preached against the sins of all categories of people. And in doing this, he did not leave out the religious leaders of the land. Instead, he rebuked them severely for their hypocrisies and insincerity. Even soldiers and tax collectors (who were at the time regarded by many as the worst of sinners) were coming to this prophet to learn the way of righteousness. (Cf. Matt 3:1-12; Luke 3:1-18)

However, as the bible further shows us, when John began to rebuke Herod the tetrarch, the king of the land, for his unlawful marriage to his brother’s wife, he had him arrested and locked up (Luke 3:19-20). Sadly, there are still people like Herod today. And you need to be on your guard against them. That is because besides the fact that they do not love to be confronted with the truth, they are also willing to go to any length to punish, harass or harm anyone who confronts them with the truth. These ones must just do something to make you fee that you are wrong or out of line to tell them the truth.

At any rate, as we see in the bible, though Herod had John locked up, he really did not know what to do with him. Why? It was because, just like the rest of the people, he too considered this man to be a true and righteous man of God. He even listened to him preach from time to time, though he would not act on his messages. Why then did he arrest him? It must have been because his lover, Herodias, wanted him to do so. The bible says that this woman nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him because he had spoken against her marriage to Herod. And she would really have killed him, if Herod had not intervened and protected him. (Cf. Mark 6:17-20)

Nevertheless, it was clear that Herod, against his wish and belief, was being used at that time by his lover to harm an innocent man. And to make a bad situation worse, during a birthday celebration of his, he made a careless promise to Herodias’ daughter, a promise on oath to give her anything she wanted up to half of his kingdom, just because the girl impressed him with her dance. Then the girl, knowing that she was not wise enough to make the right request, innocently went to consult her mother. Unfortunately, the woman saw that as an opportunity to use her too. She told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist. And as the story goes, she got what she wanted. (Cf. Matt 14:1-12; Mark 6:21-27)

Now that girl could have become one of the richest or most powerful persons in the land that day, if she had made a wise request, as did Solomon when God told him to ask for anything he wanted. But that did not happen at all. Instead, what happened was that she became a tool in the hand of her mother, a tool used by her to destroy an innocent man that did not offend her. Therefore, instead of being remembered today as probably the richest girl that ever lived, she was being remember as the foolish girl that was used by her mother to destroy one the greatest prophets of God that ever lived.

What is the point of all this? It is that we need to be careful in relating to those who have one form of influence or the other over us. Otherwise, they may end up using us for their dirty works or to fight battles that we have no business fighting. I am saying that if we are not careful, even our parents, siblings, family members, friends, lovers, bosses, teachers or neighbours can use us as tools to do things contrary to the will of God. They can influence to waste opportunities given to us by God to change our lives forever or to make our world a better place on meaningless or useless fights or endeavours. And when all has been said and done, all we may have left are regrets and a bad reputation.

So, regardless of how much you love or respect the people in your life, always conduct yourself in a manner that will let them know that you are not someone they can use to do anything they like. Also, be very careful not to seek or take any kind of favour or benefits from people that may enslave you to them or make it possible for them to blackmail you. I pray that God will always keep you safe from the traps of anyone who may be seeking to use you to do evil. Amen.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

Don’t lose your sense of rightness | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: March 20, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 46

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Welcome to a new week of the month of March 2022. My prayer is that the evils of these last days will not make you lose your mind and become what you have stood against all your life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The bible speaks of a time in the land of Israel when everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6 & 21:25). In other words, for example, if someone felt that taking his neighbour’s daughter as his wife without the man’s permission was a good thing to do, he could do so, as long as he had the might or power to do so. You can then imagine how widespread evil must have been in the land at the time. People were committing all kinds of atrocities and were justifying themselves for doing so.

But what led them, the whole nation, into such deep darkness? It was a loss of sense of rightness. Don’t forget that these people had been entrusted with revelations of God about how to live in righteousness. So, they were in a position to know what was right and what was wrong. If they, then, came to a point in their history where what was right or wrong was judged based on individuals’ interpretation of things, they definitely had abandoned the word of God. That was why they began to tear themselves apart and to ruin the land with bloodshed and immorality of all kinds. Therefore, they could not prosper as a nation or rise among the nations of the world of the time. (Cf. Judges 17-21)

In like manner, when we too set aside God’s word and His revelations about how to live, we will lose all sense of what is right and what is wrong. And where this is the case, we can only do things that will ruin our lives and our world, things that will keep peace, joy and prosperity far away from us. Look at many of us who call ourselves Christians today. Are we living on the basis of God’s word or on the basis of our judgment of things? If we are living on the basis of God’s revelation, then, we will know, for example, that things like sex outside marriage relationships, bribery, lying, slander, malice, embezzlement of public funds, forgery, money rituals, swindling and other terrible things that many of us now freely get involved in are wrong.

But we do not see these things as wrong anymore. That is because we are now the ones judging for ourselves what is right and what is wrong, not God. We have become like those of the world who, because they have lost their sense of rightness, now cheerfully say that nothing is wrong with homosexuality and other similar nonsense – everything depends on individuals’ perception of things. And as I said before, where this is the case, we can only ruin our lives and even the lives of others as well, when all has been said and done.

Now the trouble, often, is that we can be running our lives and not know immediately that we are doing so. For instance, it did not become clear immediately to Samson that his indulgence in sexual sins was ruining him. But it was secretly weakening his inner strength and character. Then there came a time that it totally subdued and cut short his life. (Cf. Judges 16)

So, even if it does not look like the wrong things you are involved in are ruining you now, a day will come when you will clearly see what sort of mess it has been making of your life all along. My prayer is that God will restore your sense of rightness and lead you to repentance right early, so that that day of ruin and disgrace will never surface in your life. Amen.

Do have a wonderful week.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

That He may teach you warfare | Pst. J.O. Lawal

from pastor's desk

Date: March 13, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 45

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Welcome to another week of this month. And may your heart be continually strengthened with adequate boldness to take advantage of God’s grace to walk in victory over whatever challenge you might be confronted with in life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Often, people wonder why God sometimes allow His children to face certain trials or challenges in life. Could it be because He does not love them? No! Could it be because He does not care enough about them? No! Or could it be because He does not have their best of interests at heart? No! Why, then, does He allow Satan, the archenemy of His children, to confront them with certain trials and temptations that may end up destroying them?

Well, we have very sure answers to these questions in the bible. For example, we are told this in it: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1Cor 10:13NIV) From what we are told here, we can see three major reasons God allows us to face challenges and temptations in life. And the first among them is that there have been people like us that faced whatever challenge or trial we may be currently facing, just as there are people like us that are facing the same nature of challenge or trial we are facing at the moment. So, we should not see any challenge or temptation that comes to us in life as strange or peculiar, for it is not. Instead, we should see it as something common to man.

Another reason God allows us to face these things is that He is in charge of life and the creation as a whole. So, He is able to determine what sort of challenges come to us or do not come to us in life. And He has promised never to let us face any challenge we cannot handle. So, if it comes to you, know that it is because God knows that you can handle it. But will you really be able to handle any trial or challenge that comes your way? Yes, you will. You will because God will see to it that you have all that you need to do so. And that is the third reason He allows trials to come to us. He allows them because He knows that His provisions to walk in victory over them are already available for us.

You can see, then, that none of us should be afraid of confronting life’s trials or challenges. But we are often afraid of confronting them. Why? We want to be comfortable and without any form of distress in life all the time. But the truth is that without being confronted with trials in this life, there are heights we cannot attain, things we cannot accomplish and levels of enjoyment and comfort we cannot experience. And since God knows this, from time to time, He permits certain trials or temptations to flow into our lives. That way, we can learn to take advantage of His grace that is more than sufficient for us to walk in victory over them and occupy the places meant for us in life.

Now look at what is said along this line about how He dealt with the children of Israel:

“These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the LORD’s commands, which he had given their forefathers through Moses.” (Judg 3:1-4NIV) Did you see that? One of the reasons God left those enemies of Israel around was to teach them warfare. In other words, He left them to teach them to take advantage of His grace. It was up to them, then, to take the word of His grace seriously for their victory over these enemies or to ignore it, to their own defeat, regret and shame.

In like manner, we must learn to think of all our trials as God’s way of teaching us spiritual warfare instead of being afraid of them or giving up on life because of them. Yes, we must think of them all as avenues to take God’s word seriously and utilize His grace for our victory. And as long as we are functioning like this, we will never again be afraid of any trial. Instead, we will always boldly join Paul to take advantage of God’s grace and to say, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

Do have a great week.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Why the longer route? | J.O. Lawal

from pastor's desk

Date: March 09, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 43

“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.” (Ex 13:17-18NIV)

Have you ever wondered why it is taking God so long to fulfil certain dreams of yours in life or to fulfil certain promises of His to you? At least, He is all-powerful and there is nothing too hard for Him to do. And we have examples in the bible of the manifestation of His great power in changing circumstances of life almost in no time. For instance, we are told in it of how, in the days of Prophet Elisha, He ended a very severe famine of some unspecified time in just one day. And since this is the case with Him, it really should not be taking Him long or forever to fix our problems or to exalt us from where we are to where we should be. (Cf. 2Kings 6&7)

Yet, often, it looks like it is taking Him forever to accomplish His good purpose for our lives. There are, in fact, times that we may feel like He may never get the job done in our entire lifetime. So, we are tempted to give up on Him and take our lives and future in our own hands. But once we do that, are bound to create problems for ourselves that may stay with us for generations to come.

Remember, for instance, what Abraham and Sarah’s impatience with God brought on them. God had told them that He would give them a child of their own, even in their old age (Gen 15). And though they believed Him when He made this promise to them, the older they got, the more impatient they became with Him. Eventually, at some point, based on Sarah’s suggestions, Hagar, her maidservant, was brought into the scene, so that they could build a family through her. Unfortunately, that decision almost ruined their beautiful marriage. It would, in fact, have ruined it, if Abraham had not truly loved his wife, Sarah, and listened to her. Nonetheless, it brought into the world generations of a man of violence, a man that does not know how to live at peace with anybody, even his own brothers. (Cf. Gen 16)

So, we need to learn to walk with God with patience. That is because if He has promised to do something for us or if He has shown us visions or dreams of His purpose for us, He will surely fulfil them, however long it might take Him. And remember that we are the ones that are often worried about time. He does not worry about it at all, for He is the author of time. So, as Peter says, whether it is a day or a thousand years, it makes no difference to Him – what He has promised to do, He will surely do. (Cf. 2Peter 3:8)

But then, for our comfort and encouragement, we are shown some reasons in the bible why it may take God a longer time than we expect to bring about the fulfilment of His purpose in our lives. And we have one of such reasons in our opening bible text. There we are plainly told why God led the children of Israel through a longer route, when He brought them out of Egypt.

As the account shows, these Israelites came out of Egypt ready for battle. But were they really ready for battle? In their own estimation, they felt that they were ready for battle. But God knows that they were not ready for it. He knew that if they saw war in the state they were at the time, they would certainly change their minds and turn back to Egypt for help. Therefore, He did not take them through the land of the Philistines, though it was a shorter route. Instead, He took them through the desert road and towards the Red Sea.

Now was He right about them or not? He was right about them, for when Pharaoh came out with his army against them in order to bring them back into slavery, they did not march out to fight him. Instead, all they did was cry and blame Moses for delivering them. That shows that they were not ready for battle at all. And if God had not been the one behind their deliverance, they would not have escaped Pharaoh’s chains of slavery that day. (Cf. Ex 14:5-10)

So, there are times that we ourselves are the reasons God is taking long in fulfilling His purpose concerning us. We are not just ready to handle what is coming. We may think we are ready for it. But when we are confronted with some circumstances, we will see clearly that we are not just ready to handle the promotion, increase or independence our hearts are yearning for. And our failure at such times may so fill us with discouragement and fear that we may totally turn away from all that is meant to be ours. Can you relate to that?

Well, in order to prevent such things from happening to us, God, in His wisdom and patience, may decide to take us through a route where challenges and trials of life will not frighten us and drive us permanently away from His purpose for us. This route, however, may be long and winding. But if we are patient with the one leading us, he will surely bring us home in one piece and at the right time.

So, when next you are worried that the fulfilment of certain promises of God to you or certain dreams and visions of yours is taking too long, remember how God dealt with the Israelites and stay encouraged. Then keep on praying that He will perfect all that is lacking in your readiness to take and enjoy what He has prepared for you.

See you at the place of your dreams!

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Rule over us | Pst. J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: March 02, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 42

“The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us — you, your son and your grandson — because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.” But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.” And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)” (Judge 8:22-24NIV)

Why did the Israelites come together as one man to ask Gideon to become their king? Why did they want him to establish a dynasty with his family line among them? It was because he delivered them from the cruel rule of the Midianites.

As the account goes in the bible, the Midianites had oppressed these people for seven years before they were delivered by Gideon. And their rule oppressive rule was so severe that the Israelites had to hide in caves and mountain cliffs in order to survive. They simply made it a business to impoverish these Israelites and keep them in misery and shame.

But at some point, the Israelites remembered the God of their forefathers who brought them into the land they were occupying and cried out to Him for help. And it was in response to their cry that He raised Gideon for them and used him to deliver them from the cruel rule of the Midianites.

Now, having being delivered from the Midianites, who should these Israelites naturally praise and yield to His absolute dominion over their lives and nation? God! Was He not the one that raised Gideon for them? Was He not the one that built courage and faith into him, so that he was able to confront their enemies with only 300 men? And was He not the one that caused all their enemies to turn against one another and slaughter themselves? He was the one who did all these things.

Yet, after the people had gotten their liberty and comfort, they immediately turned away from the one that delivered them unto the instrument that He used in delivering them and asked him to rule over them. And if Gideon had been a foolish man, if he had quickly forgotten that it was not by His power that he delivered these people from their enemies, he would have listened to them. That, then, would have been the beginning of his ruin.

But Gideon was not foolish or thoughtless. He knew how God brought him up and empowered him to rescue his people. He knew that everything came from Him and so all the glory and honour of their victory should go to Him. So, very politely, he refused the offer made to him by his people to rule over them. And not only did he tell them that he and his family would not rule over them, he also told them the one that would over them. He said, “It is the Lord that will rule over you.” In other words, he was saying that it was the Lord who saved them that would continue to be their king. Therefore, He was the one they should submit to.

What, then, is the point of all this? It is that regardless of what great things God has used or is using anybody to do for us, we should not give them the place of God in our lives. Otherwise, apart from the fact that we will be guilty of idolatry, we may also end up becoming slaves again, slaves of those that God has used in saving us helping us at one time or the other.

And how many today have become slaves of certain family members, neighbours, colleagues at work, men of God or women of God in this manner? They were helped by these people at some point in their lives, and they were truly grateful for the help. But they also went too far by trying to replace them with God, the God who made everything possible in the first place, in their lives. Therefore, before they knew it, they had put themselves under another form of slavery. And if they do not repent of their sin of idolatry and allow God to take His rightful position in their lives, it may take forever before they and their generations after them become free.

But then, I do not want you to miss my point here. I am not saying that you should not be grateful to those God is using to bless, lift or save you. Be grateful to them, for the word of God teaches this. However, the word of God also tells us not to become slaves of human beings. Why? It is because we are God’s properties and not men’s properties. (Cf. 1Cor 6:19-20; 1Cor 7:23)

In like manner, don’t make yourself anybody’s God and begin to rule over them because you have helped them in certain ways. Remember that you can only help or save those that God has already saved. And you can only do good to anyone because God has enabled you to do it. So, even if some people that you have helped are, in their ignorance, pushing you to take the place of God in their lives, be wise enough to quickly reject the offer. Otherwise, you may end up receiving glory, honour, responsibilities and even wars that are never yours to take and bring yourself to ruin. So, be smart and learn from Gideon or be foolish and end up like King Nebuchadnezzar or King Herod of Peter’s day. (Cf. Dan 4; Acts 12:19-22)

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)