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If you only let Him

“If you will only let me help you, if you will only obey, then I will make you rich!”
(Isa 1:19-20TLB)

One of the reasons some people’s lives are utterly messed up and some have, in fact, lost their lives is that they would not receive help from God or from the people He sent to them. For instance, we are told in the bible of how a king of Judah, whose name was Asa, got sick and refused to seek God’s help for his healing. He only consulted the royal physicians in his illness. And was that wrong? No! Nothing is wrong with consulting physicians or doctors for us to get well, if we are sick. But even real physicians know that they cannot heal anybody – only God heals. So, it does not matter how hard they try or how much they invest in making someone well, if God does not make the person well, they will not be well. (Cf. 2Chro 16:12)

Well, because Asa would not seek God’s help in his moment of need, he died in his illness (2Chro 16:13). But why would this man, who was raised to know God as the healer, not seek healing from Him? As the account goes, it was because of pride. He did something wrong, and God rebuked him for it. And instead for him to admit that he was wrong and seek forgiveness from God, he got angry with Him and would, henceforth, not have anything to do with Him. This, of course, was what opened the door of his life for affliction to come in and take him away. (Cf. 2Chro 16)

In like manner, there are people today whose pride will not allow them to seek or accept God’s help or the help of those He is sending to them. They think they have enough wisdom to solve their problems their own way. But what they don’t know is that man’s wisdom is nothing but foolishness in the sight of God. So, someday, they will come to the end of that wisdom and see that their problems have not yet been solved or that those problems have actually ended their earthly lives.

Now I would not know where you need help in your life. Regardless of where it may be, you need to turn to God. Perhaps you did not know before that God had the power to help you. I am sharing this with you now in order that you may know that only He has the power to help you and that if He does not help you, nobody can (2Kings 6:26-27; Ps 62:11). And He wants to help you because He cares about you (1Pet 5:7). Your duty, however, is to cast your cares or anxieties on Him and allow Him to bear them.

In our opening text, He announces that if only we will allow Him to help us, He will make us rich in joy, peace of mind, love and every other beautiful thing of this life. But will pride let us allow Him? Will that desire to want to take credit for our advancement permit us to allow Him? I know there are times we reject people’s help because we do not want them to use it as a reason for unduly interfering with our lives. And indeed, there are people whose sole reason for helping others is to forever enslave them.

But God has no intention of enslaving anybody by helping them. In the first place, He owns us all, for He created us all for His own pleasure (Ezek 18:4; Rev 4:11). So, it is His duty to help us and produce in our lives what will bring Him pleasure. If our lives, then, are miserable or horrible, it gives Him no joy. You can now see why He always wants to set our lives right and fulfil His duty to us as a responsible Creator and Father. The right and logical thing for us to do, then, is to deliberately place our lives under His authority. That is because it is only by doing so that He can freely produce in us what is pleasing in His sight and make our lives truly meaningful.

Therefore, allow God to take charge of your life and affairs. Allow Him to help you solve that problem. Allow Him to give meaning and sense to your life. In short, allow Him to fulfil His responsibility to you as the owner of your life. And don’t allow pride or anything else to keep you back from doing so. Just let Him do in you, for you and through you what only He can do, and you will not be disappointed that you have done so.

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com / alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)
By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 11, 2020 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 3, No. 26

Fire in my Bones

Earn the bread you eat

“We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.”
(2Thess 3:11-12NIV)

There are many today, even in the church, that complain all the time of how hard life is for them and how difficult it is for them to take care of their basic needs. And that is their excuse for being unduly dependent on others for almost everything they need in life or want to do. But people who act like this are not living in the will of God. It is true that God wants His people to learn to support one another with their resources. In fact, it was by acting like this that the church of the first century, in their early years, accomplished a situation in which there were no needy persons among them (Acts 4:32-35).

However, these brethren were not supporting one another to encourage idleness or slothfulness. On the contrary, they were supporting one another to promote equality, to bring everyone to that place where they are financially independent and would not have to be unduly dependent on anyone (2Cor 8:13). And why did they function like that? It was because they were well taught. Their apostles and teachers taught them to get busy with one form of legitimate labour or the other, so that they would be able to take of themselves and also support others.

For instance, Paul, speaking to the Thessalonian brethren in his second letter to them, instructs them not to condone any form of idleness or laziness among them. In other words, they are not to support able-bodied brethren who will not act responsibly and put themselves to work. And as he further points out to them, even as an apostle, he worked while he was with them. He and his co-ministers worked night and day to have resources to take care of their basic needs. So, they would not buy anything on credit or use cleverness to take goods or services from any of the brethren and not pay for it. They even gave them a rule, which was that anyone who would not work must not eat. (Cf. 2Thess 3:5-10)

Therefore, when news came to them that some among these brethren had become idle and slothful, Paul lost no time to address the matter. And as we see in our opening text, it was a strong warning he gave them. He said, “Settle down and work to earn the bread you eat.” In other words, Paul wants these brethren to stop relying on others for everything they need in life, when they themselves are in a position to work to care for themselves and to also support others. He wants them to stop living like parasites.

Now notice that this apostle does not say to those poor and idle brethren, “Tell your pastors to organise a prayer meeting for you that will be titled ‘Bring back my glory’.” No, he does not say anything like that at all. Why? It is because as important as it is for us to pray, prayer alone cannot cure financial handicaps – we need to add legitimate labour that is handled with wisdom to it as well. Of course, through prayer, we are able to appropriate God’s favour and provisions for us. But if we will not get busy and apply ourselves to some honest labour, we will ultimately waste whatever measure of favour God pours out on our behalf.

So, if you have been living a parasitic life, you are wrong. It does not matter whether it is your family members, friends, neighbours or brethren in church that you have been feeding on, you are wrong. And in fact, they too are wrong to continue to encourage you to feed on them, while your abilities to be fruitful and useful are wasting away. Or don’t you know that is what is happening? You are wasting away, if you are not using those abilities and skills God has given you to work and add value to your life and to others’ life. Yes, if you are using entire days to sleep, watch movies, play games or to do any other thing that does not increase you in fruitfulness or relevance, you are wasting away. And by the time you wake up, you will have become nothing but an old useless person.

Therefore, you need to find something legitimate to do, according to your abilities or circumstances, in order to attain financial independence. In fact, you need to tell yourself that you are not going to be a parasite but one whose life is adding value to others’ lives. If you are working, and what you are earning from it is not yet enough to support you, it is understandable. Then it will make all the sense in the world for God’s people to support you until you attain financial independence. But if you are not doing anything but are only complaining of how there are no jobs anywhere or how nobody is willing to pay you what you are worth, then, you are simply wasting away. Then I have to say to you, friend, “Settle down and earn the bread you eat and stop being parasite.”

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com / alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)
By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 04, 2020 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 3, No. 25

Fire in my Bones

It has expiration date

“I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.”
(Rev 2:21-23NIV)

Those were the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to a woman He referred to as ‘Jezebel’ in the church of Thyatira. And what is the point the Lord is making through what He says about this woman? It is that she is unwilling to repent of her sins. But why is she unwilling to repent of her sins? One major reason is that she has not been judged of them.

In like manner, there are many today that have persisted in doing all kinds of wrong things because they have not been judged. These may even be rejoicing in their wickedness and calling those who will not join them foolish. But the fact that someone has not been judged by God for their wickedness does not mean they are never going to be judged for it. They would certainly be judged at some point, if they would not repent.

There are indeed times in which God judges people for their sins almost immediately they commit them. For instance, we are told of how He judged Nadab and Abihu, two of the sons of Aaron, with fire, the very moment they offered unauthorised fire before Him (Lev 10:1-2). Think about that. Even though we do not have it on record that these men had been living evil lives, God did not give them any time to repent of their wrongdoing at all. He judged them instantly.

Now compare their situation with that of the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. They were utterly corrupt in all their ways and were even referred to in the bible as sons of Belial (1Sam 2:12). Yet God did not judge them for their wickedness, irreverence, immorality and other similar nonsense they were involved in immediately. And why did He not judge them readily for their sins? It was because He wanted to give them time to repent.

We see a similar treatment being given to the woman the Lord is talking about in our opening text. She too was given some time to repent of her sins. And why does the Lord give people time to repent like this? First and most importantly, it is because He does not delight in the death of any sinner – what He wants is their repentance (Ezekiel 18:23&32; 2Pet 3:9). Second, it may be because the cup of their sin is not yet full (Gen 15:16). Third, it may be because certain individuals are interceding for them, asking God to show them mercy (Amos 7:1-6). Then there are times that to deal with some sins people actually need time. I mean that the steps required in repenting of some sins and correcting the problems they have created may not be what can be taken in one day. And in such situations, people will indeed need some time to set things right. (Cf. Ezra 10:10-14)

Nevertheless, one thing we need to keep in mind is that there is expiration date before God for people to repent. So, if they fail to repent within the period of time He has given to them, He will have no option other than to bring His judgment on them. That is what the Lord says to the woman in our opening text. He says that He has already given her time to repent, but she is unwilling to do so. Therefore, He will judge her and all those involved in sinning with her with sicknesses and even death.

Why am I bringing you all this? It is so that you will not stay in any kind of sin, simply because you have not yet been judged for it. Evidently, the reason you have not yet been judged for that wrong act or those wrong acts of yours is that God is giving you time to repent. But you do not have forever to repent. There is expiration date on that repentance package you are holding. So, use it when it will count. Otherwise there may just come a day when your repentance will prove useless and unprofitable for you.

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com / alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)
By: J.O. Lawal | Date: October 28, 2020 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 3, No. 24

Pastor's Desk

Provide a platform for Him to bless others

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date October 10, 2020
No Comments on Provide a platform for Him to bless others

from pastors desk

Beloved: welcome to another week of the month of October 2020. And may God’s grace, love and mercy overflow over your life all through it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this new week, I like to remind you that the you are not the only one God intends to make Himself, His love and His power known to in this world. On the contrary, His intention is to make Himself, His love and His power known to all men. That is why the bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (Cf. John 3:16)

Latori tabili Paitor

La ọna fun lati bukun fun awọn miran

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date October 10, 2020
No Comments on La ọna fun lati bukun fun awọn miran

Latori tabili pasito

Olufẹ: kaabọ sinu ọsẹ miran ninu oṣu Ọwara 2020. Ki oore-ọfẹ, ifẹ ati aanu Ọlọrun ma ṣan lori aye rẹ titi gbogbo ọsẹ naa yoo fi pari, ni orukọ Jesu. Amin.

Bi a ṣe wa n bẹrẹ ọsẹ tuntun yi, mo fẹ ran ọ leti pe iwọ nikan kọ ni Ọlọrun lero lati fi ara rẹ, ifẹ rẹ ati agbara rẹ han ninu aye yi. Dipo eyi, ero rẹ ni lati fi ara rẹ, ifẹ rẹ ati agbara rẹ han si gbogbo eniyan. Idi si ni yi ti bibeli ṣe sọ bayi, “Nitori ti Ọlọrun fẹ araye to bẹẹ gẹ, ti o fi ọmọ bibi rẹ kan ṣoṣo fun ni, ki ẹnikẹni ti o ba gba a gbọ ma ba ṣegbe, ṣugbọn ki o le ni iye ainipẹkun.” (Wo: Johanu 3:16)

Fire in my Bones

Who is your witness?

“You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.”
(1Thess 2:10NIV)

Our Lord Jesus, once while teaching His disciples, said to them, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:14-16NIV) What does the Lord call His disciples here? Light! And what is light? Light is anything that makes things visible, anything that shows the true conditions of things.

Pastor's Desk

The whole counsel of God

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forever from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you into the month of October, which is the first month of the first quarter of this year. And I pray that God will establish you fully in all His good purpose for your life in the month, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, in case you don’t know or have forgotten, I want to bring to your notice the fact that preachers of the word of God have a duty to teach people the whole counsel of God. This is why Paul says to the Colossian brethren, “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness.” (Col 1:24-25NIV) Did you see that? Paul says the commission he received from God was to preach His word to people in all its fullness. That means he could not choose to preach certain parts of God’s word and not to preach certain parts of it. He could not say that it is holiness he is sent to preach and not giving or that it is faith he is sent to preach and not eternal judgment. His job was to proclaim everything about the word of God to people.

Preaching the whole counsel of God, of course, is not something that may be done in a day. A lot of times, it will take years of hard labour and patience on the part of the one proclaiming the word of God to make it fully known to any group of people he is teaching. But it can be done, and it must be done. And we see a confirmation of this in Paul’s words to the Ephesian elders, which read, “For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.” (Acts 20:27NIV) So, a proclamation of the whole will of God is possible, and it is what every preacher must commit himself to.

But then, God’s intention is not just for the preacher to commit himself to proclaiming the whole will of God; it is also for those that are being taught to discipline themselves to embrace the whole will of God. Unfortuntely, what we see is that many of God’s children today are selective in their response to the whole counsel of God. They want to choose what truths of God’s word they are taught by their preachers and what truths of His word they embrace and practise. So, they go from place to place, seeking preachers who will conform to their taste. This, of course, is why many of them are not balanced in their lives. (Cf. 2Tim 4:3-4)

We too need to examine ourselves to see whether we are balanced in our walk of faith or not. We need to ask ourselves, “Are there truths of God’s word we are avoiding and do not want to be confronted with or embrace?” If there is any, then, we need to repent and change our attitude towards it. That is because we cannot be all that God wants us to be, if we will not seek to know His whole counsel to us and embrace it.

Yes, we may not be comfortable with the way some people are handling certain bible subjects. That, however, does not mean we should not desire to know what God says about them and to apply it to our lives. For instance, there are many erroneous (incorrect) teachings about giving today, especially in the area of giving to our leaders. That, nevertheless, does not mean that the word of God does not command us to give to support those who feed us with the word of God (1Cor 9:14; Gal 6:6). And if we will not take learning and giving to support those who feed us with the word of God seriously, just because some believers are not doing it right, we are disobeying God. Yes, we may be obeying Him in all the other areas of our lives. But because we are disobeying Him in one area of our lives, we cannot fully enjoy His blessings and provisions for our lives. More so, that area in which we are disobeying Him may just become a channel through which Satan will begin to afflict us.

So, wake up from your slumber and humble yourself to receive all that God is saying to you about holiness, faith, eternal judgment, giving, love and so forth through His word. Just humble yourself to receive the fullness of His word to you. That way, everything that is lacking in your Christian walk will be supplied, and your life will be built up to fully express the character of the person of Jesus Christ.

Do have a blissful October 2020.
Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com | alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)
By: J.O. Lawal | Date: October 04, 2020 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 9, No. 22

Latori tabili Paitor

Gbogbo ipinnu ati ifẹ Ọlọrun

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date October 5, 2020
2 Comments on Gbogbo ipinnu ati ifẹ Ọlọrun

Latori tabili pasito

Olufẹ: ki oore-ọfẹ, aanu ati alaafia jẹ tirẹ titi lailai lati ọdọ Ọlọrun Baba wa ati Jesu Kirisiti Oluwa wa. O dun mọ mi ninu gidigidi lati ki ọ kaabọ sinu oṣu Ọwara, eyi ti i ṣe oṣu kinni ninu abala kẹrin awọn oṣu odun yi. Mo si gbadura pe ki Ọlọrun mu ọ duro ṣinṣin ninu gbogbo ete rẹ fun aye rẹ ni oṣu na ni orukọ Jesu. Amin.

Wayi o, ti o ba jẹ pe o ko mọ tabi pe o ti gbagbe, mo fẹ pe akiyesi rẹ si pe awọn oniwaasu ni ojuṣe lati kọ awọn eniyan ni ohun gbogbo ti o ni i ṣe pelu ipinnu ati ifẹ Ọlọrun. Idi si ni yi ti Pọọlu ṣe sọ fun awọn ara Kolose pe, “Nisinsinyi emi n yọ ninu iya mi nitori yin, emi si n ṣe aṣepari iṣẹ ipọnju Kirisiti ti o ku lẹyin ni ara mi, nitori ara rẹ, ti i ṣe ijọ: Eyi ti a fi emi ṣe iranṣẹ fun, gẹgẹ bi iṣẹ iriju Ọlọrun ti a fi fun mi fun yin lati mu ọrọ Ọlọrun ṣẹ.” (Kolose 1:22) Njẹ o ri bayi? Pọọlu sọ wipe iṣẹ iriju ti oun gba lọwọ Ọlọrun ni lati mu ọrọ Ọlọrun ṣẹ. Ọna miran lati ṣo eyi ni pe iṣẹ iriju Pọọlu ni lati waaṣu ọrọ ni pipeye. O tunmọ si pe ko le ṣo pe awọn ẹka bayi ninu ọrọ Ọlọrun ni oun o fi ṣe iwaasu ati pe awọn ẹka ọrọ rẹ bayi ni oun ko ni fi ṣe iwaasu. Ko le sọ wipe iwa mimọ nikan ni a ran oun lati fi se iwaasu, ko ki ṣe fififunni, tabi pe igbagbọ ni a fi ran oun lati ṣe iwasu ko ki i ṣe idajọ ayeraye. Iṣẹ rẹ ni lati polongo ohun gbogbo ti ọrọ Ọlọrun n sọ fun awọn eniyan.

Pipolongo ohun gbogbo ti o ni i ṣe pẹlu ifẹ ati ipinnu Ọlọrun ki i wa ṣe nkan ti a le ṣe ni ọjọkan. Ọpọ igba ni o jẹ pe o le gba iṣẹ aṣekara ọpọlọpọ ọdun ati suuru lọwọ ẹni ti o n waasu ọrọ Ọlọrun ki o to le fi gbogbo ifẹ ati ipinnu Ọlọrun han si awọn ti o n kọ. Ṣugbọn o ṣe e ṣe, o si gbọdọ jẹ ṣiṣe. A si ri amudaju eleyi ninu ọrọ Pọọlu si awọn alagba ijọ Efesu, eyi ti o ka bayi: “Nitori ti emi ko fa ṣẹyin lati sọ gbogbo ipinnu Ọlọrun fun yi.” (Ise Awọn Apositeli 20:27) Nitorina, wiwaasu gbogbo ipinnu ati ifẹ Ọlọrun ṣe e ṣe, o si jẹ ohun ti gbogbo oniwaasu gbọdọ fi ara rẹ jin lati ṣe.

Ṣugbọn ṣa o, erongba Ọlọrun kọ ni pe ki o jẹ kiki oniwaasu ni yo fi ara rẹ jin lati ma polongo gbogbo ifẹ ati ipinnu rẹ; erongba rẹ ni pe ki awọn ti a n kọ ni ọrọ Ọlọrun naa fi ara wọn jin lati tẹwọgba gbogbo ifẹ ati ipinnu rẹ fun aye wọn. O wa ṣeni laanu pe nkan ti a ri ninu ọpọ ọmọ Ọlọrun ni pe wọn a ma yan ẹbọ ninu iha ti wọn n kọ si ọrọ Ọlọrun. Wọn fẹ yan otitọ ọrọ Ọlọrun ti awọn olukọ wọn yoo kọ wọn ati irufẹ otitọ ọrọ rẹ ti wọn yo tẹwọgba ati ti wọn yo ṣe amulo. Nitorina, wọn a ma ti ibikan de ibikan lati wa awọn oniwaasu ti yo waasu tẹwọn lọrun. Idi si ni yi ti aye wọn ko fi baradọgba.

Awa naa nilo lati ṣe agbayẹwo aye wa lati ri boya aye wa baradọgba ninu irinajo igbagbọ wa tabi ko baradọgba. A nilo lati bere lọwọ ara wa, “Njẹ ari awọn otitọ ọrọ Ọlọrun ti a n sa fun ati ti a ko tilẹ fẹ ki wọn fi bawa sọrọ rara tabi ti a ko fẹ ṣe amulo?” Ti a ba ri, a nilo lati ronupiwada, ki a si yi iha ti a kọ si wọn pada. Idi si ni pe a ko le jẹ gbogbo nkan ti Ọlọrun fẹ ki a jẹ, niwọn igba ti a ko ba mura lati mọ gbogbo ifẹ ati ipinnu rẹ fun wa, ki a si fi aye gba wọn ninu aye wa.

Lotitọ, a le ma le fi ara da ọna ti awọn kan n gba ṣe alaye tabi amulo awọn isọri ọrọ Ọlọrun kan. Eyi ko wa tunmọ si pe ki a ma ni itara lati mọ nkan ti Ọlọrun n sọ nipa awọn nkan wọnyi ati lati ṣe amulo wọn ni aye wa. Fun apẹẹrẹ, ọpọ ẹkọ odi ni o wa ni oni lori fififuni, paapaajulọ fififun awọn adari wa ninu ijọ. Sibẹsibẹ, eyi ko jasi pe ọrọ Ọlọrun ko pa a laṣẹ fun wa lati ma fi nkan ini wa ran awọn ti o n fi ọrọ Ọlọrun bọ wa lọwọ (1Korinnti 9:14; Galatia 6:6). Ti a ba si kọ lati mu ẹkọ fififunni ati fifi ohun ini wa ran awọn ti o n fi ọrọ Ọlọrun bọ wa lọkunkundun, nitori pe awọn kan n ṣe eyi lọna aitọ, a ti n ṣe aigbọran si Ọlọrun niyẹn. Lotitọ o, o le e jẹ pe a n gbọran si lẹnu lori gbogbo ọrọ aye wa yoku. Ṣugbọn niwọn igba ti a ti n ṣe aigbọran si lẹnu ni ọna kan ni aye wa, ko si bi a ṣe le jẹgbadun gbogbo Ibukun ati ipese rẹ fun aye wa. Lafikun, o tun le wa jẹ pe abala aye wa ti a ko ti gbọran si lẹnu yi ni yoo jẹ ọna fun Satani lati fiya jẹ wa.

Nitorina, ji kuro ninu ogbe ti o n to, ki o si rẹ ara rẹ silẹ lati gba gbogbo nkan ti Ọlọrun n ba ọ sọ lori iwa mimọ, idajọ ayeraye, fififunni, ifẹ ati bẹẹbẹẹlọ nipasẹ ọrọ rẹ. Iwọ sati rẹ ara rẹ silẹ lati gba ẹkunrẹrẹ ọrọ rẹ fun ọ. Nipa eyi, gbogbo nkan ti o ku diẹ kaato ninu irinajo igbagbọ rẹ ni a o pese, aye rẹ yoo si jẹ kikọ lati gbe iwa Jesu Kirisiti yọ lẹkunrẹrẹ.

Ki o ni oṣu Ọwara 2020 idẹra.

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com | alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)
Lati owo: J.O. Lawal | Ojo: Owara 04, 2020 | Atelera: Latori tabili Paitọ | Nomba: Vol. 9, No. 22

Pastor's Desk

The word of His grace

From-the-pastors-desk

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forever from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to this new week and pray that you will be led and strengthened to access and enjoy the best of God for you in all things all through the week, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, as beautiful as it to offer this kind of prayer for you, it is equally important you know that it cannot take the place of acting on the word of God in your life. What I am saying is that prayer is never a substitute for acting on the word of God. So, even though it is important that we continually pray in order to be able to receive and enjoy God’s provisions for us, if we will not give ourselves to acting on His word, there are certain provisions of His that we will never be able to access or enjoy.

Paul, while speaking to the elders of the Ephesian church in a meeting, said, “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” (Acts 20:32NIV) Can you see what he says here about God’s word? First, he calls it the word of His grace. That means God’s word communicates God’s grace. So, if you want to experience and enjoy His grace, receive, embrace and act on His word. Yes, when you pray, God’s grace is released to meet your need. But until you learn to walk in the light of His word, your experience and enjoyment of His grace will never be to the full. It will always be limited. And in fact, there are situations that it is only by acting on the word of God that you will experience and enjoy His grace. Any other thing you do, be it praying, fasting or giving, will not work.

The second thing Paul says about God’s word in that text is that it is able to build up our lives. It is able to make us strong and steadfast to thrive and excel, regardless of our life’s circumstances. As our Lord makes clear in a parable of the wise builder and the foolish builder, challenges are inevitable in this life. So, we all are going to have our fill of them. But what will determine whether we remain strong and steadfast after each challenge is our attitude to the word of God. (Cf. Matt 7:24-27)

If we learn His word and give ourselves to building our lives, marriages, businesses, children and so forth on its foundation, then, it does not matter what trial we are faced with or what opportunity comes our way, we will thrive and remain ever strong. But if we will not learn His word at all or if we will not take His word we are learning seriously, so that we may act on it and use it in building our lives, then, every little challenge or opportunity that comes our way will threaten our lives and want to cast it down. And if we maintain this foolish attitude towards the word of God long enough, our lives and whatever we are building along with them are guaranteed to collapse someday. It is only a matter of time.

The last thing Paul says about God’s word in his admonition is that it is able to give us our own inheritance among the people of God. That means there are things God has prepared for each of us to enjoy, as His children. And it is the word of God that will lead us to see these things and show us what we must do to enjoy them. For instance, health, peace, protection and satisfaction are our inheritance in Christ. How do we know this? It is through the word of God. And how do we begin to enjoy these things? It is also by learning what His words says about them and acting on it.

So, you see that the life we are called to by God is a life that is founded and built on His word. And if we want to live this life and enjoy it to the full, we must take His word seriously in our lives. My prayer is that your heart will receive strength everyday from the Spirit of God to always do the right thing with the word of God. Amen.

Do have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)
By: J.O. Lawal | Date: September 27, 2020 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 9, No. 21

Latori tabili Paitor

Ọrọ ore-ọfẹ rẹ

Latori tabili pasito

Olufẹ: ki oore-ọfẹ, aanu ati alaafia jẹ tirẹ titi lailai lati ọdọ Ọlọrun Baba wa ati Jesu Kirisiti Oluwa wa. Inu mi dun lati ki ọ kaabọ sinu ọsẹ tuntun yi, mo si gbadura pe ki o gba idari ati okun lati ri aye de ibi ti ipese Ọlọrun ti o dara julọ fun ọ ninu ohun gbogbo wa ati lati gbadun rẹ titi ọsẹ yi yo fi pari, ni orukọ Jesu. Amin.

Njẹ, bi o ṣe rẹwa to lati gba iru adura yi fun ọ naa ni o si ṣe ṣe pataki to fun ọ lati mọ pe adura yi ko le rọpo ṣiṣe amulo ọrọ Ọlọrun ni aye rẹ. Nkan ti mo n sọ ni pe adura ko fi igba kankan jẹ nkan ti a le fi ṣe pasiparọ fun ṣiṣe amulo ọrọ Ọlọrun. Nitorina, bi o ti lẹ jẹ pe o ṣe pataki ki a ma fi gbogbo igba gbadura ki a ba le tẹwọgba ipese Ọlọrun fun wa, ki a si tun gbadun rẹ, ti a ko ba fi ara wa jin lati ma ṣe amulo ọrọ rẹ, awọn ipese rẹ kan wa ti a ko ni le na ọwọ gan tabi gbadun.