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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Humble yourself for His perfection | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: February 02, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 38

“Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.” (2Kings 5:13-14NIV)

One of the things the bible story of Naaman teaches us is the need for us to humble ourselves, if we want to experience God’s perfection in our lives. Naaman, as the account goes, was a great Syrian army general. He was a man that was highly valued by his master, the king of Syria, for through him God had given Syria victory over their enemies all around them. You can, then, imagine the kind of life he must have been living in the land. (Cf. 2Kings 5:1)

However, though Naaman was great and mighty in the land and before his king, there was something imperfect about his life. And it was that he was leprous. Now we know how lepers are treated in most of our cultures, even today. They are treated like some plague that must be avoided at all cost. That is because leprosy not only ruins and disfigures the body of the one who has it but is also contagious. Therefore, regardless of how wonderful, intelligent, rich or educated a leper is, he will surely be abandoned by all people, including those who love and care about him, if he does not get cured on time.

You can then see why Naaman, as bible account shows, took seriously the business of getting cured of this imperfection in his life. He did not want to end up abandoned by all the wonderful people in his life in some lonely place. He did want to end up wasting away with all his skills and abilities in some forsaken outskirts of his city because of his unfitness to live among men. And so seriously did he take his desire to get cured that when his wife’s maid told him that there was a man of God in Samaria that could cure him, he lost no time in getting the permission of his master, the king of Syria, to go and meet him. (Cf. 2Kings 5:2-19)

Now, of course, it must not have been convenient for him at all to go to Israel at that time. That is because Israel was an enemy nation. More so, Israel was not as powerful as his country was at the time. So, going there to seek healing must have required a great humbling of this man’s soul. But because he wanted to be well at all cost, he humbled himself that one time and came to Israel to see the man of God that his wife’s maid had told him to meet.

Unfortunately, when he eventually came to that man’s of God’s place and was told what to do to get cured, the pride that he had set aside rose up in him again to hinder him from receiving the perfection of his health. Remember that he was a great man, one that was used to issuing orders and having people run around to carry them out. But when he came to Elisha, the man of God in Samaria, the tables were turned. It was then his turn to go and carry out the instruction of the man of God.

In fact, as the account goes, the man of God did not even come out to welcome him or honour him. He just sent a messenger to him to tell him what to do. This, of course, infuriated him and made him turn away in anger. He had thought that the man of God would come out, perform some rituals and touch the spot of his leprosy and ‘end of story’. But when that did not happen, he got seriously upset and was ready to go back home.

Thankfully, however, his servants that had come with him to see the man of God went to him to reason with him. They told him that there was no reason for him to be angry or arrogant. According to them, though the man of God did not come out to meet him, he, at least, sent someone to tell him what to do. Moreover, what he asked him to do was nothing serious, nothing beyond his ability to do. Yes, it may be beneath his status as a great Syrian army general to take his bath in any of the waters of Israel. But if that was all that getting cured of his leprosy would cost him, should anything stop him from doing it?

Well, to cut a long story short, Naaman listened to his servants, humbled himself and went to do what the man of God had told him to do. And as he did it, he was cured of his leprosy and his flesh that had been wasting away was restored like that of a young boy. So it was that Naaman received the perfection of his body by humbling himself before the man of God and his word.

Now when this man came back to thank the man of God, he did not stay inside as before, he came out to meet him and to rejoice with him. But why did he not come out the first time? Though we are not given any specific reason in the bible, I strongly believe it was to reveal that pride, all along, was one main reason Naaman had not been cured of his leprosy. Thank God, he finally dealt with it and was cured. But if he had not dealt with, he would certainly have gone back to his land with his leprosy. And he may have stayed leprous till the day of his death.

In like manner, there are many today that pride is preventing them from receiving God’s perfection in certain areas of their lives. Truly, He wants to heal them, lift them up or save them. But they too, like Naaman, would not just humble themselves before Him or in relating to the people He wants to use to perfect what is lacking, failing or dead in their lives. And until they humble themselves to act on His word or receive the people He has given for their perfection, regardless of how low the state of those people may be in life, the perfection they so seriously seek in their lives will not be theirs. Then, if care is not taken, they may end up leaving the world without ever experiencing it.

Now it is possible that you too have been seeking for a while perfection in a certain area of your life and are yet to find it. It is possible that there is an aspect of your life that needs to be perfected in order for everything you need to be where you ought to be to fit in. What is standing in the gap? What is keeping you from experiencing this perfection? Could it be pride? Could it be that you have been relating to God and men in arrogance and stubbornness? If it is, I pray that God Himself will bring about situations that will reveal it to you, so that you may repent, as Naaman later did, and humble yourself to receive His perfection wherever you need it in your life. 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

Not your spiritual gifts alone | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: January 30, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 39

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of year 2022. My prayer is that, as you go through the week, your eyes will be opened to see what things you need to give yourself to this year in order to increase in usefulness in God’s hand, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now one main way to increase in usefulness in God’s hand, apart from offering prayers to Him, is to recognize His gifts in our lives and make the most of them. As the bible shows us, it is only those who are putting to meaningful usage what God has given to them, whether spiritual things or natural things, that He gives more things to, so that they may increase in usefulness with them. Those who are not doing much or anything with what He has given to them will not receive additional revelations, abilities, resources or opportunities from Him. In fact, if they are not careful, He may end up taking away from them what He has given them. (Cf. Mark 4:24-25; Luke 19:11-26)

So, if we want to increase in usefulness in God’s kingdom this year, we must carefully look into our lives to see what things He has given to us that we can use to serve Him or do His work. And this is not just about using our spiritual gifts to serve Him. It is also about using our natural or acquired abilities, education, resources and position to serve Him.

For example, Luke, who wrote one of gospel books and also ‘The Acts of the Apostles’, was not known as an apostle, prophet, evangelist or pastor. Rather, he was known as a trained physician or doctor. But he made use of his education and his love for history in serving the Lord by writing an orderly account of the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. He also put these things to work in giving us a brief history of the church and of the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. So, though he was not a preacher, he made himself useful to God in preserving for us the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Cf. Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-2; Col 4:14)

Also, Dorcas was not a preacher or church leader. But she was always using her resources to help the poor, especially in the church. And that made her popular among the brethren. Therefore, when she died, they could not accept her death. They had to immediately send for Peter, who came to them and prayed for her to be brought back to life. And God answered him. Why? It was because He knew that if He gave that woman more years to live, she would not waste them in unproductive living. Instead, she would increase in usefulness and fruitfulness with them. (Cf. Acts 9:36-42)

So, you do not have to have preaching or healing gifts to be useful in God’s kingdom or to increase in usefulness in it. You just need to adequately and continually put to use whatever your spiritual gift is. And you will be amazed at what things God will accomplish through you. Then, even if you don’t seem to know what your spiritual gift is at the moment, consider how you can use your education, skills or resources to move forward the work of God.

For example, if you are a furniture maker, see what you can make for the use of the church of God or how you can use your abilities to save the church some unnecessary spending. Or maybe you are good with writing or artwork. Think of how you can regularly use your skills in these things to support the church and promote the gospel, instead of making excuses for not being responsible to God in any way. It is unfortunate, however, that many in our churches today don’t want to use their abilities to serve God, if it will not result in much material profit for them. In fact, some don’t mind cheating the church in matters like this. That is because their god is their stomach. (Cf. Ex 35:4-36:3; Philippians 3:18-19)

Now I know that it is wrong for any church too to underpay or cheat anyone who does any work for her simply because the person is a church member or believer. If a believer wants to give his church some discounts on goods or services supplied by him, it is fine. But it has to be as he purposes in his heart and not something he is manipulated, threatened or forced to do (2Cor 9:7). Yet we all must learn to make available everything we have that is of use in doing the Lord’s work and in increasing in usefulness in His kingdom. Otherwise, we may end up being regarded by Him someday as lazy and unprofitable servants. And may things not end like that for you and me, in Jesus’ name.

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

She missed her opportunity | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: January 26, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 37

“And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.”

(2Sam 6:23NIV)

Why did the Spirit of the Lord move the writer or writers of 2Samuel to inform us that Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death? It was because He wanted us to see why she had to live and die without having any child of her own?

And why did Michal live and die without having any child of her own? Was it because she could not get married? No! She got married. She got married to David, the man of God. In fact, she was his first legal wife. What, then, was the problem with her? Why could she not conceive for her husband, not to talk of have her own child? Was it because her husband had health issues? No! Her husband was fine. In fact, her husband had several children from his other wives. (Cf. 1Chro 3:1-9)

So, the problem was with Michal. She was the one that was barren and could not conceive. But we do know from Scriptures that she was not the only barren woman in bible days. There were other barren women that are mentioned in the bible. Sarah, Rebekah, Hannah, Manoah’s wife and Elizabeth are all familiar bible names. These ones were barren for years too. Yet they were all cured of their barrenness. In other words, they did not die without having their own children.

Why, then, was Michal’s case different? Why was she not cured of her barrenness? Was it because there was no cure in the land? No! God was always there with them in the land. And He had already told them that as long as they were serving Him, He would cause His blessings to be on them, so that none of them would miscarry or be barren (Ex 23:25-26). So, though Michal was barren for years, the blessing of God was able to take away her barrenness, especially since the whole nation at that time was being led by David to truly worship God.

However, that did not happen. God’s blessing did not work in favour of Michal to take away her barrenness. Why? It was because she missed her opportunity to receive it. As the story goes, the very day God’s Ark was brought into the city of David and placed where he had prepared for it, he went back home to bless his household. Interestingly, who was the first to come out and meet him? It was Michal. And what should she have done when she came to him? She should have knelt down to receive his blessings. That, of course, would have been the end of her years of barrenness.

Remember that the bible shows us that Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, was cured of her barrenness because her husband prayed for her (Gen 25:21). And a similar thing could have happened to Michal, if she had received her husband and king’s blessings that day. At least, the man actually came home that very day with the inspiration of the Spirit of God to bless his household. But did Michal, his wife, humble herself to receive his blessings? No, she did not! Instead, she took the moment to accuse him of embarrassing himself before the whole nation, all in the name of worshipping God. Therefore, instead for him to bless her, he just walked pass her to go and bless other members of the family. What a shame! (Cf. 2Sam 6:20-23)

Now this remark, which we have as our opening bible text, is added at the end of the story: “And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.” That shows that the reason she did not have any child to the day of her death was that she missed her opportunity to be blessed to be fruitful. Why did she miss it? It was because she despised her husband and king, who was bearing God’s authority to bless her and cure her barrenness.

In like manner, there are people today who, like Michal, have missed or are missing their opportunity to experience God’s blessing to be fruitful in certain areas of their lives because they are despising those sent by Him to them or certain authorities placed by Him in their lives. And unless such people’s eyes are opened to see what they are missing or have missed, so that they may humble themselves before God and obtain His mercy, they may die without ever experiencing His blessings and provisions for them in those areas of their lives.

So, if you are one of those who take delight in despising authorities or spiritual leaders because you feel they are not dignified enough for you, this is a call for you to repent and humble yourself. Otherwise, God’s blessing to experience certain things you seriously desire to have in life may never find expression in your life.

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

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

He will rebuke them for you | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: January 23, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 38

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours immeasurably from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It gives me delight to welcome you to the last week of the month of January 2022. My prayer is that your heart will be taught and strengthened to always make much of the presence of God in your life every remaining day of your life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the most challenging statements of the bible is that which we find in Paul’s letter to the Roman brethren, which says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31NIV) Is God for us? Is He on our side? If He is for us, and He is for us, then, who can be against us? Nobody! I mean that there is no one powerful enough to oppress or harm us in any matter of life since God is for us. We just need to let this soak in our heads and continually walk accordingly.

For example, because of His presence with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, no one could successfully harm, cheat or oppress them. The bible says, “He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings: “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”” (Ps 105:14-15NIV) Just think about that. God allowed no one to oppress these people because they were His. And He was ready to afflict or kill anyone who tried to do so. (Cf. Gen 12:10-20; Gen 20; Gen 31:24&29)

It is no wonder, then, that when Moses was leading the children of Israel into the Promised Land, he did not ask God for wealth, food, water or protection for the people. Instead, he asked for His presence. In fact, he plainly told Him that if He would not be with them all the way into the Promised Land, He should not bother sending them up there. Why? It was because he knew that God’s presence was everything they needed. In other words, he knew that as long as God was with them, they would have all the food, water, wealth, good health and protection that they needed and even much more. (Cf. Ex 33:12-17)

Now we don’t need to ask for God’s presence in our lives. That is because we already have it through of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is already with us, in us and for us. In fact, the bible says, “…God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”” (Heb 13:5-6NIV) Did you see that? God Himself has said that He will never ever leave us or forsake us. That means we will always and ever have His presence with us.

And how should we respond to that? Well, as that bible text also shows us, we should respond by confidently saying, “I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Whose job is to boldly say I will not be afraid? It is my job. It is your job. And whose job is it to boldly say there is nothing any man can do to me? It is my job to say so. It is your job to say so.

But we are not to say these things because we just want to sound bold or courageous. We are to say them because we know that God is with us all the way to make sure we are adequately taken care of and also protected from all forms of satanic or human oppression. If you, then, know this, get rid of all your fears. Yes, get rid of all your fears of those situations or people that are threatening you, cheating you or oppressing you. That is because God is going to rebuke them and take for you what is rightly yours.

Remember that He rebuked kings, even kings that were being controlled by demons of sorcery and witchcraft, for His saints of old. So, it won’t be anything serious for Him to also rebuke for you anything or anyone that is against your peace of mind, health or progress, regardless of what measure of demonic influence they are exercising. You just make sure you that you always remind yourself that He is with you. And you shall continually witness great manifestations of His power on your behalf.

Have a splendid week.

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

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

When you need spiritual solutions | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: January 19, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 36

“The men of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.” “Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.'” And the water has remained wholesome to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.” (2Kings 2:19-22NIV)

Why did the men of Jericho approach Elisha about their city? It was because they sensed that they needed more than natural solutions in solving its problems. As they pointed out to the man of God, this city was well situated. In other words, it was settled in a place where it could attract the people and things that it needed to become great. But it was not great, neither was it about to become great. Why? It was because the water was bad and the land was unproductive.

Now who wants to stay in a place where the water is bad and useless for drinking, cooking, bathing and so forth? That kind of place is unsuitable for healthy living. And who wants to stay in an obviously barren and unproductive land? You will just be wasting your resources and hard labour there.

Since Jericho, then, was such a place, a place where people’s health was continually being endangered by the water and where their resources and hard work were being wasted, people began to avoid it. So, though it was well situated and could have been a great city, that was not the case with it at all at the time.

But thankfully, there were still men in that city who believed in what it could become. And these ones also knew that its problem could not be solved in a natural way; it would require supernatural intervention. So, when Prophet Elisha came passing through it, they took that as their opportunity to see it healed. They humbled themselves, went to him and told him their predicament. And in response, the man of God ministered to the land by the Spirit of God and healing and wholeness was brought upon it.

What lesson, then, does this teach us? It is that we too must learn to recognise when the issues we are confronted with require divine solutions or intervention. Yes, by putting the mind God has given us to work, there are problems we are able to readily solve. And He expects us to solve those problem instead of waiting on Him to solve them for us. At least, the reason He has blessed us with a mind to think, learn, understand and evaluate things is that we may use it in dealing with the matters of our lives. So, if we are praying, fasting and waiting on Him in handling matters that He expects us to use our head to fix, we are simply wasting our time.

However, there are matters that a mere application of human knowledge, understanding and wisdom cannot handle. Such matters need divine solutions. But if we fail to realise or acknowledge this or if we, in our arrogance, think God does not matter at all, then, those problems would not be solved at all. Instead, they will only keep going from bad to worse, regardless of what we do or say.

Now perhaps that is the kind of problem you are confronted with now, a problem that requires divine intervention for it to be handled. You yourself can tell that unless there is a supernatural altering or removal of certain things that are fundamentally wrong with the matter at hand, all that you are doing will never amount to much. Then admit it and seek God’s face about it. And you don’t have to do this all alone. Engage the people of God in your life too for prayer support and spiritual counsel on the matter. And before you know it, there will be a divine release of all that you need to change the situation, whatever it may be, and move from where you are to where you ought to be.

Stay blessed.

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

So that you don’t surprise yourself | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: January 16, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 37

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I welcome you to another week of the month of January 2022. My prayer is that you will always be adequately equipped and strengthened to walk in victory over everything warring against your soul, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now one of the things constantly warring against our souls as children of God is sexual immorality. And it is so widespread today that there is hardly anywhere you go or turn to that you won’t find something calling you to be involved in it. If you, then, will not act on what the word of God says about it, you may soon enough surprise yourself by doing something you never thought you could do. This is already happening to many of God’s people. To their surprise, they are already succumbing to sexual sins, things that they used to frown at and condemn. And unless they return to acting on what the word of God says about sexual immorality, they will never be free from its grip.

To let you understand how bad this has gotten, recently, I saw a status a so-called Christian posted online, expressing his urge to sleep with anyone that shows up. And just right after that, he posted another status of certain believers singing about the eternal life we have in Christ Jesus. So, I asked myself, “Is this young man alright? From sexual immorality to Christian worship – how do these add up?”

As if that were not enough, about the same time, I saw a status posted by another so-called believer. And he was saying that if anyone should see him feature in any of these immoral movies, popularly referred to as adult movies, they should know that he is just hustling – nothing else is attached. Of course, I immediately sent a message to him to find out if he was alright. But all these things are pointing to one thing, which is that we are living in a sexually saturated environment. And if we, as God’s children, do not watch ourselves, we may someday surprise ourselves through our involvement in immoral activities or practices.

All this, of course, goes beyond praying to God to keep us safe from sexual sins. It also involves acting on what He says about them. And what does He say about them? He says, “Flee from sexual immorality…” (1Cor 6:18NIV) Did you see that? Despite the fact that God has the power to protect us from all problems, He tells us that His way of protecting us from sexual immorality is for us to run away from it. Yes, He will energise us and also make sure there is a way for us to run away from it. But it is on us to run away from it. Otherwise, we may just surprise ourselves by our involvement in it.

Look at Joseph of bible days. How was he able to escape being involved in sexual sins with his master’s wife? Was it be reasoning with her? No! He tried reasoning with her, but it did not work. And that is because reason never works when it comes to sexual passions. That explains why we often see some married people who have great homes and have no reason whatsoever to be involved in sexual sins getting involved in it. And when they have eventually ruined their homes, they will start asking themselves, “Why did I do this? Why did I go against all reason to commit this kind of blunder?”

So, don’t ever think reason, smartness or willpower will keep you safe from sexual sins. None of them has the power to keep you safe from it. The only one that can keep you safe from it is God. And He is now saying to us, “As long as it is about sexual sins, run for your life.” That was what Joseph did. First, he made sure that he was never alone with his master’s wife. Then, when the woman eventually found an opportunity to drag him down, he took to his heels, not minding the fact that he had to leave his cloak behind. Yes, he ended up being imprisoned because of that. But he maintained his purity and was later justified by God. (Cf. Gen 39:6-15)

In like manner, you too should make sure you stay away from anyone or anything that can promote sexual immorality in your life. You don’t have to be with that man or woman that is often trying to seduce you with immoral talks or touch. And you don’t have to see that movie or keep that phone app, if you can see that it is constantly drawing you to sexual sins. So, do what is right and run, if you cherish your soul and don’t want it destroyed. May you always find in you the strength, courage and wisdom you need to do this, 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 wisdom for living Youth for Jesus

Get the right team | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: January 12, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 35

“Three of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD. “God forbid that I should do this!” he said. “Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?” Because they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.” (1Chron 11:15-19NIV)

Often, when people talk about the greatness of David of bible days, they overlook the fact that he did not become great all by himself. Yes, the bible says that he became great because God was with him (1Chro 11:9). But that was not all that it says about how he became great. It also shows us that there were men that God put in his life that helped him to become great. And if he had not identified those men and allowed them to come into his life and help him, he may not have become as great as he did.

Now what qualities of men did this man choose to be with him? Loyal and competent men! For example, we are given an account in our opening bible text of how three of these men once risked their lives to get water for him. He was very thirsty on that occasion and wanted water not just from anywhere but from a particular well near the gate of Bethlehem. He just mentioned it as his desire; he did not expect anybody to work with it. But to his surprise, three of his men broke through the enemy lines and got water for him from exactly where wanted it. And so shocked and humbled was he by their action that he offered the water they had brought to him as an offering to the Lord.

Why, then, did those men do that for David? First, it was because they were absolutely loyal to him. And because they were loyal to him, his desires were their desires. So, he did not have to command them to do anything for him. Once he said anything or expressed his desire about something, they would take it as their command and run with it, even at the risk of their lives. No wonder he regarded them as chiefs among his mighty men.

Another reason they did what they did for David on that occasion was that they were competent. Loyalty is good and must be cherished above all things in every relationship. But it cannot take the place of competence. If you do not have the ability to do something, then, you do not have it. You may be loyal to the person you are with and passionate about helping them in any way. But if you lack the ability to help them, they will still find you useless to them in many ways.

Those men of David were not just loyal to him but were also mighty in combat. According to bible records, there was a time that one of them killed eight hundred men in one encounter. So, these were not just boys when it comes to war matters; they were lions. And that was why God was able to use them to help David in becoming king and also in establishing his kingdom. (Cf. 2Sam 23:8-12; 1Chro 11:11-14)

Now what is the point of all this? It is that you too need the right team of people to work with, if you must attain certain level of greatness in life. Yes, God may have shown you all kinds of fantastic things about where He is taking you in life. But you may never get there, if you do not have the right people in your life. And certainly, God, who has destined you for greatness, will, from time to time, bring all kinds of people your way, as He, in the beginning, brought all the animals He had made to Adam to see what names he would give them and what kind of relationship he would build with each of them. And it is on you, as it was on Adam, to identify the ones among those He is bringing your way that are suitable to help you get to where He wants you to get to and to hold fast to them. (Cf. Gen 2:18-23)

How, then, would you recognise or identify such people among all the ones in your life? It is by considering those two qualities that we see in David’s three mighty men. And these are loyalty and competence. Those who do not have these two qualities cannot help you much in life, regardless of how much you love them or how much they claim to love you. Is that to say that you are to utterly do away with them? No! As long as they are not against you, they are for you and will do you some measure of good in life too. But when it comes to matters that concern realising your God-given dreams in life, don’t waste time with them or entrust things that are very important to you to them. The results you will get by doing such won’t be pleasant.

Instead, apart from utterly relying on God for everything, commit important matters of your life and future only to those who are loyal to you and who are also competent to handle them. And if you do not have any of such people yet in your life, then, your journey to greatness is not about to start. So, make it your priority to find them. May God fill your heart with divine revelations to make the right decisions about 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

Watch out for them | Pst. J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: January 05, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 34

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matt 7:15-20NIV)

Recently, I was saw a short video clip of a so-called man of God bathing members of his church in a basin and right in a church meeting. That, of course, is alarming. But it is not strange. Similar and even worse things are happening all around the world in many of our so-called churches. I mean that people do all kinds of terrible things in the name of Jesus. But has the Lord Jesus sent them? The answer is ‘No!’

See, our Lord Jesus, when He was physically here on earth and ministering to people from place to place, made it very clear that He was sent by God to set people free from their sins and from all kinds of satanic bondage (Luke 4:17-21). So, if anybody is doing anything in His name that puts you into any kind of bondage, you should know that such a person is not sent by Him.

As we see in our opening text, He Himself warns us to watch out for false prophets. Why does He want us to watch out for them? First, it is because though He has not sent them, they may come to us in His name. Second, it is because they are beasts, ferocious wolves. Therefore, their coming to us is never going to be for good. Rather, it will that they may devour or ruin our lives.

How, then, can we save ourselves from them? It is by recognising them. And how do we recognise them? Jesus says it is by the fruit they bear. As the Lord points out to us, we can’t recognise a false prophet, teacher or believer just by merely considering the miracles or signs they perform or the things they say. We can only recognise them by looking at the fruit their lives are bearing.

What kind of fruit is the life of this so-called man of God you are chasing up and down bearing? Is it bearing the fruit of love, peace, gentleness, purity, self-control and everything else that is consistent with the righteousness of God? What about his practices? Are they consistent with the truth of the Scriptures and the practices of the saints of old?

If the life of a so-called man or woman of God is not bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit and if her practices are contrary to what we find in Scriptures, then, you should know that she is one of those the Lord wants you to watch out for. And you will do well to stay away from such or to guard yourself against them. Otherwise, they may end up corrupting, defrauding or injuring you.

There are many today who no longer want to have anything to do with Jesus or Christianity because they were polluted, defrauded or injured by certain so-called prophets or believers. Who, then, is to blame for their predicaments? They are to blame. They are to blame because they did not heed the Lord’s warning about false prophets. If they had heeded His warning, they would not have been victims of any false prophet or believer. And if you too do not want to have yourself to blame someday for being ruined, corrupted or injured by some prophet or preacher, you had better heed His warning and watch out.

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

He takes faithfulness seriously | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: January 09, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 36

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours without measure from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. I am glad to welcome you to the second week of this new year, year 2022. And I pray that you will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be faithful in all your service to God in the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we see in the bible, God is not only concerned about what we do for Him; He is also concerned about the heart with which we do it. Therefore, His reward will not come to us only on the basis of how much we are able to do for Him but also on the basis of how faithful we are in doing what we do for Him. This is why you must not let your focus be merely on doing this or that for God; instead, let it also be on doing whatever you do for Him with a diligent and faithful heart.

Why was Cain’s offering rejected? It was because his heart was not right with God. Yes, many have said that it was because he did not bring God a quality offering. Some have even said that it was because what he brought was not a blood sacrifice. But the bible does not say anything like that. It does not say that God gave Cain and his brother Abel a specific instruction on what to bring to Him. Rather, it tells us that they both brought Him offerings from the labour of their hands. So, it must have been freewill offerings that they brought to Him. (Cf. Gen 4:3-5)

In any case, even though both of them had laboured to bring Him something, it was only Abel and his offering that He looked upon with favour; He did not look upon Cain and his offering with favour. And when He saw that Cain was downcast because of this, He told him plainly, “If you are doing what is right, will you not be accepted?” So, it was not really about his offering but about him. All along, something had been wrong with his heart. That was what spoilt his offering. And because he did not heed God’s warning, that thing ended up making him a murderer. (Cf. Gen 4:6-8)

So, God is looking beyond what we are doing for Him or giving to Him. He is also looking at our hearts. And it is what He sees in them that will determine whether He accepts and rewards our labour for Him or not. In fact, as we also see in the bible, there are times that He punishes people for not being faithful or diligent in serving Him. For example, on the same day, Nadab and Abihu, two of the sons of Aaron, were both punished with death by Him because they offered before Him unauthorized fire. Yes, they were out to serve Him. But they ended up getting killed for their service instead of getting praised and rewarded. (Cf. Lev 10:1-3)

What about Ananias and Sapphira, his wife? They were both killed on the same day by the Lord for being unfaithful with their giving (Acts 5:1-10). So, we need to always take faithfulness in our service to God seriously. Paul, speaking about this, says, “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (1Cor 4:2NIV) Did you see that? In stewardship, faithfulness is key; it cannot be overlooked or undermined.

Therefore, as you go this new year, let faithfulness be your watchword in all your service to God. This is so that He may use your service to accomplish His good purpose in the lives of men. Also, it is so that you may get His praise and reward for your service instead of His disapproval or punishment. And may your heart be taught and strengthened to be faithful to Him in all things and at all times, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

Success all the way | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: January 02, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, 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 very first week of this new year, year 2022, and pray that God will cause you to experience tremendous success in all your ways all through it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now someone may ask, “Is it even possible for one to experience success in all his ways in this world that is full of all kinds of surprises and challenges?” Yes, it is possible, if one knows what to do. For example, as we read the book of Joshua, we see that this man led the Israelites that Moses brought out from Egypt from victory to victory in bringing them into the land of Canaan, which God had promised to give to them. He had success all the way. Therefore, he fulfilled his ministry of giving every one of the people their inheritance, in that land that was flowing with milk and honey.

But what made Joshua, who was not a priest or a prophet but a soldier, successful in this manner? What made him have success all the way? It was his devotion to the word of God. God had told him this when he was taking up the job of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Josh 1:8NIV)

What did Joshua need to be prosperous and successful, according to that bible text? He needed to take the word of God seriously. First, he was to keep reading, studying and declaring it to himself and to the people he was leading. Second, he was to continually ponder on what it says, day and night. Why? It was so that he may be careful to live according to what it says. That means if we are going to practise the word of God, we must give ourselves to carefully meditating on it all the time. We must continually meditate on it until it becomes a part of us and we cannot just act otherwise.

At any rate, Joshua’s instruction was to personally take the word of God seriously. And did he do so or not? He did! That was, in fact, why he was able to succeed and prosper in leading the people into their inheritance, as God had instructed him to do. And towards the end of his life, he gave the people the same instruction God had given him, saying, “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left.” (Josh 23:6NIV)

So, regardless of who you are, where you live and what your honest vocation is, if you too will take the word of God seriously this year, if you will give yourself to learning what it says about how you are to live, to meditating on it and to practising it, you will go from victory to victory in all your endeavours in the year. Yes, there will be challenges and trials in the year, just as there will be opportunities to do big and great things. But it is only those of us who take God’s word seriously in a very personal manner that are guaranteed to have success all the way, just as Joshua did.

Will you, then, make up your mind to take His word seriously this year, so that you can be successful and prosperous in all your ways? As for me, I have made up my mind to take His word seriously all through the year because I want to win all the time in it. And I know that He will enable me to do so by His Spirit, for He has said that if we are willing and obedient, He will make sure we enjoy the best of the land (Is 1:19). If you too are willing to do as He has instructed, then, He will make sure you have all that it is going to take to please Him and to be victorious all the time. And may you be continually strengthened to do so, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Happy New Year!

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)