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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

God is at work in you | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: October 17, 2021 | Number: Vol. 10, No. 24

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Redeemer. I am delighted to welcome you to this new week. My prayer is that everything that concerns your life will be perfected without delay, so that your life can be exactly where God wants it to be, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now I am confident that this will indeed be the case with you because the one at work in you is God Himself. Paul, speaking to the Philippian-Christians about the need for them to take their salvation seriously, reminds them that they can do this because God is at work in them to will and to act according to His good purpose (Phil 2:12-13). Think about that. The salvation of these brethren is not up to them alone but also to God. Yes, there are things they have to be doing in order to fully experience the salvation that Jesus has bought for them. But they will not be doing these things all by themselves. They cannot even do these things, whatever they are, all by themselves. The one that will make sure they are able to do them is God. And Paul assures them that He will surely get the job done. Isn’t that lovely to know? It is.

In like manner, because we too have become children of God through Jesus Christ, we now have Him at work in our lives. Before we became His children, it was Satan that was working in our lives and messing them up in different ways. That is why the bible calls him the spirit at work in those who are disobedient to God (Eph 2:2). But now that we have become children of God, He has come to live in us and to take charge of our lives. Yes, He has come to live in us to work. And what kind of work has He come to do in us? Everything that is consistent with His good purpose for us!

Therefore, the fulfilment of God’s good purpose for us is not up to us alone; it is up to Him as well. And this is why we can be confident that our lives will ultimately be what they are meant to be, regardless of where they are right now. Can you relate to that? God is able to make your life what it is meant to be, regardless of where He picked it up. So, Paul says to the Philippians, “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1:6NIV) And David also says, “The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me…” (Ps 138:8NIV)

Did you see that? We can trust God to finish in us what He started. Yes, we can trust Him to fulfil His good purpose concerning us. All we need is to cooperate with Him every step of the way. He will put in us all the desires that are consistent with His purpose for us and also provide us with everything we need to actualise these desires. But we have to love what He wants to make of our lives and also be willing take whatever steps He wants us to take to accomplish this (Isaiah 1:19).

Now do we love what God wants to make of our lives? Are we willing to be all that He is working in us to make us? If we are, then, we will take His word seriously. We will give ourselves to reading, studying and meditating on it, so that we may act according to what it says (Joshua 1:8). Then we will not be arrogant, stubborn or discouraged when He disciplines us. Instead, we will accept His discipline with love and respect, knowing that, as our Father, He has our best in mind and will only discipline us in love (Heb 12:5-13).

Why did the most of the children of Israel that Moses led out of Egypt not make it to the Promised Land, despite everything God did for them and among them? The first reason was that they did not take God’s word seriously. The second reason was that they would not accept His discipline. And if we do not want all the work that He is doing in our lives to amount to nothing, then, we must not be like them. Instead, we must learn to take His word and His discipline very seriously. My prayer is that your heart will be strengthened to act accordingly, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a glorious week.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

He is bound to lose it | Pst. J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: October 13, 2021
Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 4, No. 22

“Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.” (Prov 26:8NIV)

Those are the words of Solomon the wise. And what do they mean? Well, they mean that just as a sling is bound to lose any stone tied in it, a fool is also bound to lose whatever honour, wealth or position given to him. It is only a matter of time.

For example, when this wise man, Solomon, died, his son, Rehoboam, succeeded him as king over the nation of Israel. So, naturally, he inherited the kingdom, honour, wealth, influence and greatness of his father. But was he able to retain these things? No! Why? It was because he was a foolish man. And how did he show himself to be foolish? He showed himself to be foolish by not taking heed to the wise counsel of the wise elders, who had directly served with his father, on how to relate to his subjects. (Cf. 1Kings 12:1-24)

Therefore, anyone who does not know how to seek wise counsel, recognise it and act on it is a fool. And it does not matter what degree of honour you confer on that person or how much resources you entrust to them, they are bound to lose everything. That being the case, regardless of our position in life or what measure of wealth or honour we have bestowed on us, we must learn to seek, recognise and act on wise counsel on how to use it. Otherwise, we are bound to lose it.

In like manner, if we want to honour people or entrust them with some position, resources or people, we must be certain that they are individuals who know how to seek and handle wise counsel, especially as it relates to what we are entrusting to them. Otherwise, we may end up wasting everything on them. And who are going to blame afterwards? Ourselves!

Now, of course, being foolish in life goes beyond not knowing how to seek and handle wise counsel. There are other manifestations of foolishness. For example, being wasteful is also a manifestation of foolishness. We see this illustrated in the bible story of the prodigal son. That young man squandered the wealth he got from his father in reckless living and so ended up in poverty. He left his father’s house full but came back empty. What a foolish young man! (Cf. Luke 15)

In any case, if we too are wasteful in the way we use our resources or those entrusted to us by others, we are bound to lose them and whatever measure of comfort, honour or position we have received because of them. And if we entrust our wealth or possessions to a wasteful, slothful, careless or reckless person, it won’t be long before we lose everything because of them. So, in entrusting things to people, be sure you know their attitude towards the management of resources. Otherwise, you will eventually have only yourself to blame, when they have lost everything of value you commit to them.

Then what about pride, whether towards God or men? It is also a manifestation of foolishness. And anyone who has it is bound to lose whatever degree of honour, wealth or position they are given in life. In fact, they may even lose their life in the process. (Cf. Prov 16:18; Isaiah 2:11&17; Dan 4&5; Acts 12:19-23)

So, if we are concerned about not losing God’s blessings of honour, wealth, position or influence in our lives, we must allow Him to rid our lives of every form of foolishness through His word. Then we must also watch out for manifestation of foolishness in the lives of those we relate to, so that they don’t bring us to ruin through their foolishness. And may your heart continually overflow with God’s wisdom, so that you do not lose any of the things given to you by Him for your enjoyment, elevation and usefulness in life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Spread the news | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: October 10, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 23

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be multiplied to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of October 2021. May shouts of joy and victory occupy your mouth in the week and throughout the remaining part of the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I want to remind you again, as we begin this new week, that you owe it to God to spread the good news of His word that is changing and lifting you through this assembly. Why did our Lord always have many people coming to Him to hear the good news and to be healed? It was because those whose lives were being changed by His word kept spreading the news about Him and what He was doing.

For example, Mark says this about the response of some of those who had the privilege of listening to Him and witnessing His miracles: “The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching — and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.” (Mark 1:27-28NIV) Look at that. It was majorly the beneficiaries of Jesus’ ministries that were responsible for the publicity that His ministry had. So, the Lord did not have to print fliers, post notices or do radio, television or internet advertisement for people to know about Him or His ministry.

In like manner, even though nothing is wrong with it, we do not have to send out fliers and notices about our meetings or what God is doing by His Spirit in our midst week after week before people get to know about it and join us. Those of us who are beneficiaries of His goodness to us in the assembly just need to take it upon ourselves to spread the news. That is all. And the Spirit of God will take care of the rest.

The bible says, “The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it…” (Ps 68:11NIV) When we read this from the Hebrew Scriptures, we get to see that the great company of those who published the word of the Lord being referred to were actually women. So, the fact that you are a woman does not mean you cannot spread the good news of how God is transforming our lives in this assembly through His word and by His Spirit. You can. And you should.

Do you know that even children are not left out in this matter? For example, there was a time the Jewish religious leaders complained to Jesus about certain children that were singing His praise. And what was His response? His response was, “Have you never read that Scripture says, ‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise?’” So, even our children need to be inspired and encouraged to spread the news of how God is blessing them in the assembly. (Cf. Matt 21:14-16)

However, if we are selfish and self-conscious, thinking only about ourselves, we will not be moved to spread the news of how God is blessing us in this church. Also, if we are timid, we may not say anything to those around us that are very much in need of the touch of the word and the Spirit of God. My prayer, therefore, is that our hearts will be overwhelmed with the love of Christ and the right measure of passion and boldness to spread the good news of His grace we are enjoying, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a very lovely week.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

Don’t ensnare yourself | Pst. J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: October 06, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 21

“Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.” (Judg 8:27NIV)

Once, while teaching His disciples, our Lord Jesus said to them, “…Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves…” (Luke 17:1-3NIV) He said these things to warn us all to watch the thing we do and say, so that we do not become responsible, whether consciously or unconsciously, for anybody’s fall into sin. Otherwise, it would be much worse for us than the one we have led astray, when God begins to judge.

But then, it is not only others that the things we do or say can ensnare and lead into trouble. They can ensnare us as well and become an occasion for us to stumble, fall or get destroyed. For example, as we see in our opening bible text, Gideon had made an Ephod of gold from the jewelleries he received as gifts from the Israelites after a battle. What was an Ephod? From what we see in Scriptures, it was originally one of the accessories of the High Priest’s garment, according to the instructions God gave Moses. But later on, in the history of the Israelites, we see that it also began to represent an object through which some of the people learnt the will of God. (Cf. Ex 28:6-8; 1Sam 23:9-12&30:7-8)

In any case, from the recorded encounter of Gideon that we have in the bible, we can tell that he originally made that Ephod so that he could have a means of personally enquiring from God. Whether it, then, served his purpose or not is something that is hard to tell. But as we are further shown in our opening text, it ended up becoming a trap that led the nation of Israel back into idolatry. The people began to worship it. And they were not the only ones that were ensnared by that Ephod; Gideon and his family were equally ensnared by it. In other words, it became a trap for them too, a trap that led their family, which was the first to turn away from idolatry at that time, back into idol worship. (Cf. Judges 6)

But do you know that all that could have been avoided, if Gideon had not made that Ephod? Yes, he originally meant well – he simply wanted a means through which he could consult God. But he was not a priest of God. There were priests in those days that were authorised by God to wear Ephods and that he could meet any time, should he need to learn the will of God about any matter that was not clearly defined in the book of law. What I am saying is that the book of God’s law to them was always available for any of them to consult in order to learn the mind of God about any matter. It is only when what is said about a matter in the book was not clear to the people or when nothing is directly or indirectly said about a matter in the book that they were expected to go to a priest or a known prophet of God for clarifications. Anything different from this, then, would be of the devil and result in nothing but idolatry, which would be followed by God’s judgment, as was the case with Gideon.

Now what is the point of all this? It is that we are to watch the things and people we bring into our lives or get ourselves involved with. Otherwise, we may unconsciously or unknowingly set traps of destruction or failure for ourselves. What I am saying is that there are people and things that we have no business associating with. There are individuals we do not need as friends or companions. There are items and facilities we don’t need to acquire, videos we don’t need to see or keep, songs we don’t need to hear or keep and even phone apps we don’t need to download. Why? We will be ensnaring ourselves through them.

Perhaps you have ensnared yourself in this manner before. You brought certain ungodly or carnal people or things into your life for some reasons, which may even appear legitimate, only for them to become the reason you found yourself in sexual immorality, theft, robbery, drug trafficking or use, bribery or some other destructive thing. Who do you now blame for this? Or who do you think is to blame? Yourself! And unless you separate yourself from such people or things, even if you have to be ruthless about it, you may never be free.

Well, all I am saying is that in all your dealings with men and the things of this world, be careful not to ensnare yourself. And you will be able to do that, if you will keep this admonition of the Lord to the nation of Israel in your heart: “Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you.” (Ex 34:12NIV) Did you see that? If you unduly associate or unite yourself with any ungodly person or thing, you will ultimately ensnare yourself. And you may not get a chance to free yourself before you are destroyed. So, be very careful.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

The Lord is with you | By J.O. Lawal

Date: October 03, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 22

Beloved: grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It gives me great joy to welcome you to the month of October 2021. And my prayer is that your heart will be strengthened to continually function with the consciousness of God’s abiding presence with you, so that you will never lose heart or be discouraged, regardless of the circumstances of your life. Amen.

You know there are times that the circumstances of our lives may drive us to think that God has abandoned us and that we are all alone to face the things that are seeking to destroy us. But that is not a new thing. There were saints of old that felt likewise at some points in their lives. For example, when the Angel of the Lord first appeared to Gideon and said to him, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior,” his answer was, “If the Lord is with us, why are we in this mess and why is He not performing all kinds of signs and miracles for our liberty, as He did for our forefathers? It is clear that He has abandoned us.” (Cf. Judges 6:11-13)

Think about that. God was personally telling that man face to face that He was with him. Yet he found it hard to believe Him. Why? It was because he was looking at the circumstances of his life and of his country. He could not understand how God could be with them and still allow things to get as messed up for them as they were. But God was not the one responsible for the mess in their lives. They were the ones responsible for it. They were the ones that abandoned God and began to function according to their wisdom. So, He left them to face the consequences of abandoning Him to walk in their own ways.

But when they cried out to Him because of their oppression, He answered them by visiting Gideon and letting him know that He had been with them all along. But it was their sins that was hindering the manifestation of His presence. And with a number of convincing proofs, He inspired and encouraged him to lead his people to experience freedom from the hands of their oppressors. (Cf. Judges 6-8)

In like manner, if we too focus on the circumstances of our lives, we may conclude that God is not with us or that He does not care at all about what becomes of us. But God never leaves or abandons His children. That is because He has already promised to never leave us or forsake us. And since He never fails to keep His word, we can be sure that He is with us, regardless of the circumstances of our lives. (Cf. Heb 13:5-6)

However, even though God is with us, we may not experience the manifestation of His power in changing our circumstances or delivering us from them. And there are two main things that may be responsible for this. The first is sin. If, like those Israelites of Gideon’s day, we allow sin to turn us away from God, we may find ourselves being oppressed by the devil, right in His presence, and He will do nothing about it. But if we will also humble ourselves before Him, as they later did, and repent of our sins, He will forgive us, show us mercy and make us experience His deliverance. And this, I believe, is what we all urgently need to do in this country, if we want to experience true liberty from all the things and people that are now oppressing us.

The second thing that may keep us from experiencing the power of God in our circumstances is focusing our attention on those circumstances instead of focusing it on God. If our attention is on the problems of our lives, we may ultimately be destroyed by them, even though we are not living in sin. But if our attention is on God, who is with us, for us and in us and who also has power over all the circumstances of our lives, we will certainly experience His power and victory over the things seeking to hurt or destroy us.

Paul says we walk by faith and not by sight (2Cor 5:7). But it is not all of us that can say this, for it is not all of us that are actually walking by faith and not by sight. To walk by faith is to function on the basis what God has said to us and not on the basis of what we see, hear or feel. And as long as we are functioning on the basis of what He has said to us about Himself, ourselves and life in general, we will never be put to shame, even if all hell is stirred up against us. My prayer, then, is that your heart will be strengthened to always look beyond your circumstances unto God, your Father, who has power over all things, so that you will never again miss the manifestation of His power in your life. Amen

Peace be unto you.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

Imitate the God of order | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: September 29, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 20

“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” (1Cor 14:33NIV)

The bible tells us that we should imitate God because we are His beloved children (Eph 5:1). And one of the things we are to imitate from Him is order. God, as we are told in our opening bible text, is a God of peace and order and not of disorder or confusion. So, if we observe any form of disorder or confusion in our lives or affairs, we should know that God is not behind it. That means He is not the one responsible for the chaos and confusion that we see everywhere in the world today. We and the devil are the ones responsible for these things.

From what we see in the bible, God’s intention is that this world we live in will be one of order. So, even though He made the earth for us to live in, He did not make us before making the earth habitable and ready for us. He did not make us first before thinking of what we would eat and where we would stay. Instead, He made sure the food we would eat and all the other resources we would need for shelter and to make the earth most interesting for us to live in were already available. So, there is nothing we are using or discovering here on earth now that God had not made available before we were brought forth. In fact, we were the last of all His creations to be brought forth. Therefore, we were brought forth into the fullness of His provisions. That is what we call order. (Cf. Gen 1:26-31)

Also, from the creation story that we have in the bible, we see that the world of plants was not made until God had provided light and water for it and also put in the soil all the nutrients that it would need to make the world beautiful and habitable for man and all the other living things with him. Then the birds and animals were not made until God had prepared the world of plants and every other thing they would need to enjoy their stay here on earth. That, again, is what we call order. (Cf. Gen 1:1-23)

Furthermore, when we consider the way the universe works, the consistency of the Sun, the moon and the stars in blessing us with their lights and energies and in marking off for us our days, nights, months, years and seasons, it is clear that God, who created all these things and set them in their proper places, is a God of order and not of confusion. And as His children, He expects us to replicate the same consciousness and pattern of order in our lives and affairs. He does not want us to be disorderly in our lives or to do things without taking into consideration their results or aftermaths.

Yes, order, sometimes, can be very costly. But we won’t regret it, if we will pay for it. What I am saying is that there are times that in order to have order in your life or affairs you may need to expend more resources, energy or time than you will naturally want to use. But ultimately, it will pay off, for it will make life easier and better for you and others with you or others that may come after you.

So, if, for example, you intend to be educated along certain field of life, God expects you to have a plan of what you will do with that education before you even begin to receive it. That is order. Otherwise, you may never be fruitful with that education you want to receive when you are done receiving it. And there many all around the world whose lives clearly illustrate this.

Or if you intend to get married and have children, God expects you to have a plan for the proper care of your spouse and children. He does not expect you to just go ahead and marry like every other person without any knowledge or plan of how your home will be run peacefully, happily and responsibly. Otherwise, that home may never be a blessing to the society but a curse. And there are many homes that are readily testifying to this fact.

At any rate, the point I am making is that God wants our lives to be orderly and free of any form of confusion. So, we must stop making excuses for whatever degree or measure of disorderliness that is in our lives. Instead, we need to deal with it. And how do we do this? First, we need to agree that disorderliness or confusion is not the will of God for us. So we must not embrace it. Second, we must learn to always commit our lives and affairs to God, so that He may cleanse them of confusion and guide us into what is best for us. Third, we must refuse to be lazy or impatient in taking advantage of God’s provisions to organise our lives for excellence. And as we devote ourselves to doing these things, it does not matter how disorderly things may be for us now, it won’t be long before our lives take the shape God wants them to take and begin to show forth His excellency.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

Wisdom to handle happiness | By J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: September 22, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 19

“…Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” (James 5:13NIV)

There is a Yoruba adage which, when translated, says, “Poverty does not kill; it is unrestrained merriment that kills.” This, of course, does not mean that people don’t die or can’t die as a result of poverty, for many all around the world die everyday as a result of poverty. Rather, it means that much more people die as a result of unrestrained merriment than as a result of poverty. And this, sadly, is the bitter truth.

So, it is not only our moments of trials that we must learn to handle; we must also learn to handle our moments of happiness. That is because moments of happiness can also be moments of vulnerability. They can be moments in which we let down our guards to rejoice or celebrate. And if we are not careful, those moments could end in pains, terrible losses, regrets or destruction for us.

For example, as bible accounts show us, on a particular birthday of the Herod ruling in Galilee during the time of our Lord Jesus, he became so happy with the dance presentation of Herodias’ daughter that he did not know when he swore an oath to give the girl anything she wanted, up to half of his kingdom. What was he thinking? Why would he make that kind of reckless promise? Let us even suppose that the girl did ask for half of his kingdom, would she be able to manage it? Did she have the wisdom, understanding and character that would be needed to handle such a great responsibility? I doubt it. (Cf. Mark 6:16-23)

Nevertheless, because this Herod was unusually excited, he made a reckless oath that eventually led him to killing a man of God. And that was because Herodias’ daughter did not ask for gold, silver, mansions, lands or cities. Instead, following her mother’s counsel, she asked for the head of John the Baptist, a man that Jesus referred to as one that is more than a prophet. And because of his oaths and his dinner guests, this king had to consent, even though he was greatly distressed about the matter. (Cf. Mark 6:24-28)

Now only God could tell the number of those who ended up killing or hurting themselves or others in some big ways because they failed to wisely handle their happiness or excitement. Only He also could tell the number of those that fell into the traps of their enemies because they were not wise or cautious enough in handling their moments of happiness or celebration. Perhaps you too have at some point in life gotten into trouble because you did not manage certain moments of happiness or celebration of yours wisely. And if you still would not learn wisdom from God, there is no guarantee that similar things would not happen in the future.

What, then, is God’s wisdom saying? First, as we see in our opening bible text, it says, “Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” Did you see that? The wisdom of God says if anyone is happy, let him praise God. Notice that it does not say let him get drunk with his friends or let him get inside his car and drive crazily around town or let him go and waste himself on some call girls. Rather, it says let him praise God.

Why is he to praise God? It is because God is the source of all through forms of happiness (Ecc 2:24-25). And if anyone would acknowledge this and praise Him on its basis, He will surely keep him from doing anything or taking any step that would turn his joy into mourning or open the door for the devil to use his moments of happiness against him. So, next time God brings about circumstances that make you happy, remember to praise Him for your happiness. That way, you are opening the door for Him to perfect your happiness and keep it from being polluted by the devil.

Second, the wisdom of God is saying do not make life complicated for yourself, just because you want to express your happiness. Solomon says this to us: “This is all that I have learned: God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.” (Eccl 7:29GNT) Did you see that? It is not God that is making life hard for us; rather, we are the ones that often do things that Satan uses to make life hard for us. As I pointed out before, you can endanger others’ lives, get into debt, hurt or kill yourself, or expose yourself to the attacks of your enemies while expressing your happiness. And what good will that do you? None!

So, don’t create problems for yourself all in the name of expressing your happiness. Yes, praise God for your happiness and also rejoice with those who love you and care about you. But don’t do anything that will give the enemy an opportunity to strike you and turn your joy into sorrow. And may God fill your heart with His wisdom to always remember to act according to these words when you need to, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

If His word is blessing you | Pst J.O. Lawal

from pastor's desk

Date: September 26, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 21

Beloved: It gives me great joy to welcome you to the last week of the month of September 2021. And may God’s immeasurable grace and Christ’s unfailing love overwhelm your life and home in the week and throughout the remaining part of the year, causing you to be victorious in all ways, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this new week, I want to remind you that if your life is indeed being blessed through the word of God you are receiving in this assembly, then, you have a duty to constantly lead others to experience what you are experiencing. You don’t need to know a lot of Scriptures to do this, neither do you even need to be an outspoken person. All you need is just a feeling of compassion for those around you whose lives could be tremendously transformed, if they too would be exposed to the teachings of the Scriptures you are exposed to. And you are good to go.

What I am saying is that if you are not selfish but compassionate about those around you whose lives are messed up because they are not living on the basis of the word of God, you would use your mouth, money, phone or anything else you have at your disposal to share the word of God that is changing your own life with them as well. As the bible shows us, after Philip had heard words from the mouth of Jesus, he could not stay still until he found Nathanael, who was most likely a friend of his, and told him that he had found the Messiah. And though Nathanael found it hard to believe that any good thing could come from Nazareth, Jesus’ home town, Philip still persuaded him to come and see things for himself. That was how he too became an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Cf. John 1:43-51)

Now was Philip already a preacher at that time? No! He probably did not even know at the time that he would end up being an apostle. But because he was convinced about who Jesus was and wanted his friend too to become His follower, he found him and led him to the Lord. If you too are convinced that the Lord is in our midst and that His word that is changing our lives can change the lives of your neighbours, friends, family members, colleagues at work or in school and so forth, you will lead them to experience what you are experiencing. They too, like Nathanael, may not believe at first that there is anything for them to gain from what you are telling them. But you also just need to act like Philip and tell them to give it a try. Yes, tell them to taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps 34:8).

Another duty of yours, if you know that you are truly being blessed through the word of God you are learning in our midst, is to share all good things with those teaching you. Paul says this to the Galatian brethren: “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.” (Gal 6:6NIV) Did you see that? Sharing all kinds of good things with the one teaching you the word of God that is moving your life forward or making your life better is something you are commanded by God to do. It is not a suggestion. It is a command.

So, week after week, as you are blessed with the word of God in our meetings, you should think of what good thing to directly share with those God is using to minister to you. This, of course, is something you are to do on the basis of what you have and not on the basis of what you do not have (2Cor 8:12). And as you do it, in obedience to God’s instruction, you will definitely be rewarded by Him for doing so, not just in heaven but also here on earth. How He will reward you is not what I can say. But from what we are shown in Scriptures, His rewards for obedience to His instructions are always mind-blowing and beyond human expectations or imaginations.

For example, because a widow obeyed Him and fed Elijah with what she and her son should have taken as their last meal, God saw to it that food was always in her house throughout the three and a half years of famine that the nation of Israel experienced and that her son did not die untimely (1Kings 17). Also, because Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anointed Jesus with a jar of very expensive perfume, the Lord said that wherever the gospel is preached, her name and what she did would always be mentioned (Mark 14:3-8; John 12:1-8). And it has been so. So, if you too will take His instruction about taking care of those who feed you with His word seriously, you will not fail to receive your reward. My prayer is that your heart will be strengthened to walk in obedience in this matter and in every other matter where God requires your obedience, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a very pleasant week.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

The Master is watching you | Pst. J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: September 15, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 18

“And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.” (Eph 6:9NIV)

One of the major issues we are confronted with in our country today is a high rate of unemployment. And it is so bad that many of our school graduates have no way of putting to use the education they have acquired. So, they often have to diversify into businesses or fields of work in which they may never be able to apply the education or training they spent several years and a lot of resources to obtain.

Unfortunately, most employers of labor are now taking advantage of this ugly situation to impoverish and cheat their workers. I mean that they use the situation of things in the country as their excuse for paying their workers less than they deserve or for not paying them when due or for threatening them as though they had nowhere else to go if they should be out of their employment. And it is sad to know that there are even people of God, who should know better, among those who act like this.

But what is the mind of God on how to treat our workers or anyone who does any kind of work for us? It is what we have in our opening bible text. There Paul speaks by the Spirit of God to employers of labor, who, at the time he wrote the letter, were masters of slaves, on how they are to treat their workers. And how are they to treat them? First, he says they are to treat them in the same way they expect their workers to treat them and their work.

Now how are their workers to treat them and their work? Paul says, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” (Eph 6:5-8NIV) Can you see that? Workers are to relate to their employers in obedience and with respect, fear, and sincerity of heart, just the way they would relate to the Lord Jesus.

In other words, the will of God is that all employees are to serve their employers wholeheartedly, whether they are watching them or not as if they were serving the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. In fact, in another letter, Paul says they are to keep in mind that it is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself they are serving (Col 3:23-24). This being the case, the Lord Himself will also personally reward them for the way they handle their work, that is, beyond whatever their employers give them. And this, I believe, should be an incentive for every child of God to take their work seriously. That is because it is not only your boss or employer or client that will appraise and reward you. The Lord Jesus Himself also will appraise you and reward you accordingly.

In like manner, as Paul tells us, employers also need to keep in mind that they also have a master over their heads. That is the Lord Jesus Christ, who He is currently watching and appraising them on how they treat their workers and will reward them accordingly. And since He does not play favorites, they can expect Him to deal with them justly. This is why they must treat their workers with respect and fairness in all things instead of cheating them or threatening them. Otherwise, they will simply be bringing themselves under God’s judgment, as James tells us in his own epistle (James 5:1-6).

So, if you have anyone working with you or for you, you must make up your mind to fulfill all your duties to them and not to cheat them, injure them, threaten them or make life hard for them. Remember that the Lord Jesus, our Master, is watching you and will reward you with justice, not just when you stand before His throne on the Day of Judgment but also right here in the world. Will you, then, want Him to treat you the way you have been treating your employees or laborers? I am sure you know the answer.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

May you not fail in your responsibilities | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: September 19, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 21

Beloved: grace, mercy, and peace be abundantly yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to this new week and pray that you will not fail in any of the responsibilities God has entrusted to you in life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, why is this prayer important for you and me? First, it is important because only God can open our eyes to see those things that are truly our responsibilities and also strengthen us to do them. Why do people act irresponsibly? For the most part, they act irresponsibly either because they do not know their responsibilities at all or because they lack the capability to fulfill them.

So, if we don’t want to fail in handling any of our responsibilities, we must make it our business to regularly pray to God to open our eyes to recognize everything we are responsible for in life. Also, we must continually pray to Him to equip us with everything we need to fully discharge our responsibilities to Him, to ourselves, to our families, to the church of God, and to our world, in accordance with every day’s need. Otherwise, there is no guarantee that we will not fail Him woefully in all or many areas of our lives.

Another reason this prayer is important is that God is only going to reward us for the responsibilities He has entrusted to us and not for those He has not entrusted to us. For example, though there may have been many children misbehaving in Israel in the days of Eli the Priest, God did not hold him responsible for the misbehavior of all of them. On the contrary, He only held him responsible for the misbehavior of His own children. (Cf. 1Sam 2&3)

In like manner, in the parable that the Lord told of a man that gave his servants money to work with, the man did not at all hold any of those servants responsible for sums of money that he did not give them. Instead, he only held them responsible for what he gave them. That is why he did not bother to find out what the servant that did nothing with the money he had given him was doing all the time he was away. Anything else he was doing, whether good or bad, during that period, was not his concern. His concern was for him to work and be profitable with the money he had given him. And since he was unprofitable with it, there was no reward for him – all he got was punishment. (Cf. Matt 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-29)

So, in rewarding us for whatever we do in this life, God’s primary focus will be on how we handle those things that are our responsibilities and not how we handle those things that are not our responsibilities. And if all those things we take seriously or are profitable in are those things that He has not entrusted to us as our responsibilities, He won’t be praising or exalting us because of them, regardless of how much we put into them. That, then, would mean that we have merely wasted ourselves on them. My prayer is that the Lord will always keep us from wasting ourselves on irrelevancies and non-essentials instead of devoting ourselves to learning what our responsibilities really are and carrying them out. Amen.

Do have a fabulous week.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)