Category: Fire in my Bones

Title: Never allow Eliab

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date October 8, 2025

fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 8, No. 22

“When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” (1Samuel 17:28-29)

What did Eliab, David’s oldest brother, hear him discussing with some of the soldiers in the camp of Israel? He heard him discussing what would be given to anyone who killed Goliath and ended the harassment he had been giving the entire army of the nation. And was it wrong of David to ask questi ons about such a matter? No!

See, even though David was not yet in the army at the time, he was a free Israelite like every soldier in that army. So, he had a right to ask questions about anything relating to the welfare of the army and of the nation as a whole. Of course, those he was talking to may refuse to answer him, since he was not their commanding officer. That still wouldn’t change the fact that he had a right to ask them battle related questions.

More so, David was not asking questions that day about what would be given to anyone who killed Goliath simply for the sake of being informed. Rather, he was asking to see if risking his life to confront and kill that giant would come with any meaningful appreciation.

But his oldest brother was not even going to let him speak. He just wanted to shut him up. Why? There was no sensible reason offered in the account. He just did not think David should be talking to any of the soldiers. And since he was far older than him, he was ready to use his age to bully him into keeping quiet.

Now perhaps you too are like that. You like to bully others and shut them up, without making any effort to find out whether they are making sense with their words and actions or not. And you are ready to use any advantage you have over them, which may be age, wealth, education or position, to silence them. You are just another Eliab. You are nothing but a discourager, a killer of good dreams. And anyone that allows you to silence them may never amount to anything in life.

Thankfully, David would not allow Eliab to silence him, even though he was his oldest brother. Of course, he would not insult him or speak disrespectfully to him. Nevertheless, he would not allow him to silence him and put out the fire of greatness burning inside of him. So, he went on to become great as God had ordained him to be.

You too should never allow any Eliab to silence you or put out the fire of greatness or success that God has lighted in you. No, never allow anyone, who has no word of encouragement, comfort or inspiration to give you, to kill you on the inside, Instead, as David turned away from Eliab to talk to others who would tell him what he needed to hear, you too must be ever ready to turn away from any Eliab, regardless of who they may be.

Now you don’t have to be disrespectful to do that. You just need to respectfully and wisely excuse yourself from their discouraging and dream killing words. And may God continually strengthen you to walk in victory over every form of discouragement till you reach His goal for your life. Amen.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

Tags alaythia bible church, christianity, Fire in my bones, wisdom

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: When they wouldn’t say anything

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date October 1, 2025

fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 21

“Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.” (2Sam 13:22NIV)

Why did Absalom hate Amnon? He hated him because he had disgraced his sister Tamar. How? By raping her!Now was Absalom right to hate Amnon? No! But Amnon raped his sister. Yes, Amon raped his sister.

Nevertheless, it was wrong of him to hate Amnon. That was because the law God had given to them says, “Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.” (Lev 19:17NIV)

So, though what Amnon did to Tamar was terrible and unacceptable, Absalom shouldn’t still have hated him. Instead, he should have confronted and rebuked him frankly. In fact, he could have petitioned their father, the king, not to let Amnon go unpunished for his crime. And that may have made the story end differently.

Unfortunately, Absalom did not petition the king about the matter at all. He just kept quiet about it and was watching to see if anything would be done about it. Also, he would not confront Amnon about it at all. In fact, as we see in our opening bible text, he would not say a word to him on the matter, either good or bad.

Instead, he despised and hated him in his heart. And after two years, when it was clear to him that the matter had been swept under the carpet and that justice would not be served, he made his move to kill Amnon and succeeded.

What a pity!Now could Amnon have saved himself from Absalom’s hidden desire to kill him? Maybe! How? Would that be by continually being on guard? Yes, that may work for a while. But remember that Absalom did nothing about the matter for two years. He did not say any word that could make him suspicious.

Also, he did not do anything that could make him suspicious. Instead, he patiently waited for two years before striking him. He waited until everybody had most likely forgotten the matter before making his move.

And if he had needed to wait even for more years, he would still have done so. Why did he wait for as long as he did? The reason was that his heart was already filled with hatred for Amnon. And unless that hatred was removed from him, he would not rest until he was able to punish Amnon and satisfy himself.

So, even if Amnon was on his guard all the time, a day would surely come when he would face the wrath of Absalom. And how adequately prepared would he be that day? No one could tell.

How better, then, could he have handled the situation? He could have handled it better by meeting Absalom and Tamar for forgiveness. At least, it was clear to him that Absalom would not talk to him about the matter at all. That should have informed him that something was off and that whatever it was should be addressed. But he was a spoilt, overprivileged and unrepentant child.

So, he may not have seen any need to make peace with Absalom and Tamar. For him, what had been done had already been done and life must go on. That was why he went to Absalom’s party two years later and was bold, arrogant and careless enough to get drunk.

So, he lost his life cheaply.What is the point of all this, anyway? First, it is that we must learn to make peace with people, if we have offended them. And we should take the doing of this more seriously when those we have offended would not say anything to us about our offence, whether good or bad.

See, it is better for the one you have offended to shout or scream at you and let you know how terrible you are or how bad they feel than for them to keep quiet and act as though what you did was nothing. That is a dangerous sign. It is a sign that they may just be another Absalom. And if you ignore this sign and refuse to make peace with them, their wrath may fall on you when you least expect. So, make every effort to make peace with them when you still have the opportunity to do so. And may God help you.

The second point of this account is that if someone has offended you, deal with it without delay. Yes, confront them with the truth about their offence or error. And if you think that is going to be a waste of time, then, forgive them and forget about it, as God has commanded us to do.

Otherwise, that wound you are refusing to treat may fester and become worse. And where that is the case, you may not know when you will have become another Absalom, ready to murder.

Would God, then, be able to lead you back from your murderous path? No one can tell. He was unable to stop Cain from murdering his brother Abel. And He was unable to stop Absalom from murdering his brother Amnon. So, don’t even allow yourself to get on that path at all. And may God help you.

Amen.

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Never arrive there

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date September 24, 2025

fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 20

“Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning.” (Ecclesiastes 4:13NIV)

What is Solomon saying to us in our opening bible text? Is he telling us that young people are by all means better than old people? No! Truly, youthfulness has its own advantages. But that does not mean that old age does not have its own advantages as well. It does.

Therefore, it is faulty reasoning to simply say that it is better to be old than to be young or that it is better to be young than to be old. Both are good. And what can make the one better than the other is the measure of wisdom that is applied in handling it.

Now that, of course, is one of the points Solomon is communicating to us through what he says in that text. He is saying that the fact that you are old, rich, powerful and influential does not mean that you are better than any young person around you or in your life. If you are not walking in wisdom, then, any young person around you that is walking in wisdom is better than you, even if he is poor and unknown.

What, then, does it mean to walk in wisdom? That, actually, is not a simple question to answer. But thankfully, Solomon tells us one of the things that will show that a man is walking in wisdom in that text. He refers to it as the willingness to take and act on counsel, godly counsel. And as he points out, the moment we arrive in that place in our lives where we no longer respect godly counsel, we have become nothing but fools, irrespective of our age or position in life.

Remember that Solomon himself, at some point, arrived in that place in his life where he no longer yielded to godly and scriptural counsel concerning the many strange women in his life. And even though God appeared to him twice to warn him, he still did not listen to Him. So, in his old age, the strange women in his life led him into the worship of idols. That, of course, was the foundation for the loss of the larger part of the kingdom by his household. (Cf. 1Kings 11)

So, when this man is telling us that it is better to be young, poor and unknown and receptive to godly and spiritual counsel than to be old, rich, influential and powerful and be deaf to godly counsel, he knows what he is talking about. That is because that poor and unknown young person can become rich, known and powerful by acting on the godly counsel coming to him. But the one who is already rich, powerful and known can lose everything and be put to shame, even in his old age, if he should begin to despise and reject godly and spiritual counsel.

Never arrive there, then! No, never arrive in that place in your life where you think you already know it all and begin to do away with spiritual and godly counsel. That is because it is a foolish place to arrive in. And once you are there, regardless of how old you are or how far you have come in life, all that you have done or accomplished in wisdom may soon be lost.

So, mind yourself.

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Be safety conscious

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date September 18, 2025

fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 19

“Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.” (Ecclesiastes 10:8-9)

What is Solomon speaking to us about here? Basically, he is speaking to us about the need to be careful in all that we do. And he uses four different activities that we may engage in to illustrate his point to us.

First, he speaks about the digging of pits. As we all know, we often dig pits for various good reasons. And there are times that we dig pits to deliberately endanger the lives of others.

In any case, Solomon’s point is that we must always keep in mind the fact that we ourselves can fall into a pit that we have dug, even if we have dug it for a good and legitimate reason. Therefore, when digging any pit, we should put safety measures in place.

That way, nobody’s life, including our own very lives, will be endangered by it. Then we should be careful never to dig a pit for anybody’s fall. That is because we may end up being victims of our own wickedness.Solomon also speaks about breaking through walls. And there are times that we need to break through some walls to move ahead in life or to enjoy some relationships or to know some secrets.

But whether it is a necessity that we break through a wall or not, it is important that we demonstrate utter carefulness and preparedness in doing. That is because we may not fully know or appreciate what is waiting for us behind that wall. And if it should be a snake or something even more harmful, we should meet it ready.

Otherwise, we may end up being sorry for ourselves.What we are saying is that what is behind a wall of limitation may be more dangerous and limiting than the wall itself. And where people don’t function with an understanding of this, where all they are after is just breaking through their limitations and they are not preparing for what may be behind those limitations, they may end up losing their lives or endangering their lives in ways beyond their expectations.

Furthermore, Solomon speaks about the quarrying of stones and splitting of wood. And while these things can be done legitimately, it does not cancel out the fact that there are dangers associated with doing so. Therefore, anyone quarrying stones or splitting wood ought to know that he may endanger himself and others around him while doing so, if he is not safety conscious.

Now Solomon says this to let us know that each job has its own hazards. It will be wise of each of us, then, to appreciate the dangers associated with whatever work we are doing and put measures in place to protect ourselves from them. Otherwise, we may end up endangering ourselves and others that we love. And how painful would that be?

At any rate, while it is highly important that we are safety conscious in all that we do, we must also never forget that unless God keeps us safe, we will not be safe, however careful or safety conscious we may be. So, we must never put our trust in our being safety conscious but in God. And may God continually keep us all safe from all forms of accidents and hazards, in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Tags abc, alaythia bible church, counsel, Fire in my bones, wisdom

Fire in my Bones General Post Youth for Jesus

Title: The Lord looks at the heart

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date September 11, 2025

fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 18

“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”” (1Sam 16:7NIV)

When did God say the words of our opening bible text to Samuel? It was when he was in the house of Jesse to anoint one of his sons as king over Israel, that is, in place of King Saul. And who was Samuel not to consider his appearance or height? It was Eliab, Jesse’s first son.

Now why was Samuel not to consider Eliab’s appearance or height? It was because God needed more than his appearance and height in order to make him king. God also needed his heart to be right.

Unfortunately, the man did not have the kind of heart that could make God choose him as king over His people. So, he was rejected.But then, it was not only Eliab that was not considered by God to have the heart of a king among Jesse’s sons. Six other sons of his were also considered by God not to have the heart of a king. Only David, the man’s last son, was considered by God to have the kind of heart He needed His king to have. And it was he that Samuel was told to ordain as king over the people of Israel. (Cf. 1Sam 16:1-13)

What is this teaching us? It is the fact that even though God is the one that promotes or exalts people in life, He does not exalt them indiscriminately. On the contrary, He exalts people based on what He sees in their hearts.

The fact, then, that someone is in a low position does not mean that God is going to exalt him. If the heart of the person is not right for exaltation, God is not going to exalt him. Yet we may see Him taking someone that is already in a high position to an even higher position. Why? The person’s heart is right for exaltation. Therefore, if you want God’s exaltation in life, take care of what is in your heart.

Yes, it may look like you are qualified for certain positions in life because of your education, beauty, intelligence, family background or social status. But if pride, bitterness, lust, envy, hypocrisy or dishonesty is your heart, God may not consider you fit for those positions. We would not know exactly what God saw in Eliab’s heart and in the hearts of his other brothers that made Him reject them for the position of king over Israel. But He saw what He saw. And what He saw displeased Him. So, He rejected them.

Now perhaps there is something God is seeing in you too that is making Him reject you for certain positions of elevation that could have been yours in life. You need to rid your life of whatever it is. But you cannot do that unless you know what it is. How, then, will you know what it is? God Himself, who knows what is in every heart, will have to reveal it to you.

If there is any prayer you, then, must learn to pray, it is that God will constantly reveal whatever displeases Him in your heart to you, so that you may rid yourself of it. And may He, in His mercy, answer you each time you offer this prayer to Him, so that you may do the needful about the state of your heart and never hinder yourself again in life.

Cheers!

Tags abc, alaythia bible church, christianity, counsel, Faith, Fire in my bones, wisdom

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Will your presence bless them?

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date September 4, 2025

fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 8, No. 17

“From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.” (Gen 39:5NIV)

Whose household was blessed by God, as we see in our opening text? It was Potiphar’s household. Why was his household blessed? It was because he put Joseph in charge of it.

Now why would God bless an entire household because of Joseph? The reason was that he took Him seriously. And because he took Him seriously, He ensured that His favour was on his life wherever he went. So, it did not matter whether he was in a house of slavery or in a prison, he was bound to shine and prosper. And anyone that favoured him or associated with him was also bound to be a part of his prosperity.

This, then, is teaching us that association matters a lot in life. If we associate ourselves with the right people, our lives will most likely go in the right direction. Likewise, if we associate ourselves with the wrong people, our lives will also most likely go in the wrong direction.

Potiphar’s life and family began to move in the direction of prosperity because he recognised God’s favour on Joseph’s life and put him in charge of everything he had, even though he was not an Egyptian like himself or a family member. We too should learn to recognise and appreciate God’s favour in the lives of others, so that we may relate to them appropriately. Otherwise, we may miss the goodness God may have communicated to our lives through them.

Then it is equally important that we too function in life in such a way that our presence in the lives of others will cause them to go in the right direction, in the direction of prosperity and not disaster or chaos. See, as children of God, it is not good at all for us to be friends with people, work with them or live with them for a while and our presence won’t bless them. What is good is for people to be able to place their fingers on the obvious progress or prosperity that their lives have experienced because we are their friends or because we have worked with them or lived with them.

All of this is why we too, like Joseph, must take God seriously. If we take Him seriously, we will walk in His righteousness and continually express our dependence in Him through prayer. And that will cause His favour to continually rest on our lives. Anyone, then, who associates with us is bound to be a partaker of the working favour of God in our lives. That, of course, will cause them to have great testimonies to share about their experience with us.

Do you, then, want those in your life to continually share great testimonies of how your presence is blessing them or do you want them to continually express regrets over knowing you or allowing you to be a part of their lives? Everything depends on how seriously you take God. And my counsel is that you begin to take Him very seriously, if you have not been doing so. May your presence in people’s lives never again bring pain but comfort to them, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Cheers!

Tags alaythia bible church, christianity, Fire in my bones, wisdom

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: An error of leadership

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date August 27, 2025

fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No.16

“There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler: Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones. I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.” (Eccl 10:5-7NIV)

Who is making his observation known to us in our opening text? It is Solomon. And what has he observed? It is an error or a blunder that is often committed by those in leadership. Now what is this error of leadership that Solomon is talking about? It is that of putting unfit people in positions of authority or influence. And wherever that happens, people will not enjoy the benefits of leadership as they ought to. What they will be witnessing, on the contrary, are multiplied failure, chaos and pains.

For instance, as we are told in the bible, when Samuel became old, he made Joel and Abijah judges over the people of Israel. Why? They were his sons. So, he did not make them judges over the nation because God had chosen them or because they had shown themselves as honourable and wise men that could lead the people to please God and experienced prosperity.

Instead, he made them judges because they were his sons and he believed that they would follow his steps in leading the people. (Cf. 1Sam 8:1-2)But did those men walk in the footsteps of their father, Samuel? Not at all! Instead, they acted in greed, took bribes and also twisted justice. And when the people could no longer endure their nonsense, they approached their father to remove them and give them a king instead. That, of course, was not fully in line with the will of God for them. But it was Samuel’s error of leadership that caused it. So, even a great man of God can commit the error of leadership that Solomon speaks of in our opening bible text. (Cf. 1Sam 8:4-5)

Sadly, even Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, also committed this same error of leadership when he first became king. How? It was by choosing the young men that had grown up with him as his counsellors. Is anything wrong with choosing a young person as a counsel to the king or any leader? No! But the person should only be chosen because he is capable of giving sound counsel any time the demands to do so are made on him. (Cf. 1Kings 12)Rehoboam, however, did not choose those young men as his counsellors because they had anything in their heads. Rather, he chose them because they were his childhood friends.

Unfortunately, because they had nothing in their heads, they gave him the counsel that made him lose the larger part of his kingdom to another man.Now, of course, Rehoboam lost his kingdom in that manner because God had already said that He would divide that kingdom into two and give a part of it to Rehoboam. But it was his error of leadership, the one Solomon speaks of our opening text, that hastened it. What a shame! (Cf. 1Kings 11:26-40)

In any case, the point of all this is that if you are in a leadership position, be careful how you choose those that serve with you or represent you. Positions of leadership or authority are not meant for rewarding people or for making them happy. Rather, they are meant to be used to serve people and make life better for them.

So, in choosing people for positions of authority, choose only those who are utterly fit to serve or lead with you. Don’t choose anyone simply because they are close to you or because they have been good to you. Otherwise, they may undo all the good that you have been doing and even ruin your reputation. Therefore, be cautious.

Tags abc, alaythia bible church, Faith

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Have genuine concern for them

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date August 20, 2025
No Comments on Title: Have genuine concern for them

fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 8, No.15

“Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land.” (Nehemiah 5:14-16NIV)

Those were the words of Nehemiah, as he gave some account of his leadership over the people of Judah. And he penned down these words for us to show us a very important quality of a true leader. And what is that quality? It is a show of genuine concern for people.

See, a true leader does not just lead because he has to or because no one else will do so or because of what he hopes to gain. Rather, he leads because he is genuinely concerned about the welfare of others and also because he believes that he has what it takes to actually care for them. Therefore, where he does not think that he has what it takes to lead others and see them adequately cared for, he will graciously and humbly refuse to lead.

For instance, after defeating the Midianites, the people of Israel requested that Gideon would become their king. But he humbly declined. And why? Was it because he was being modest? No! Rather, it was because he knew that God had not chosen him to be their king but just a deliverer. So, he would not allow them to compel or entice him to take a position in their lives that was not meant for him but for God. (Cf. Judges 8:22-23)

But becoming king over the Israelites would have enabled Gideon to accumulate lots of money, wives, concubines, servants and lands. Yet he would not become their king. And that was because he wasn’t just concerned about himself and what he could possibly gain by becoming their king; he was also concerned about their welfare. He was concerned about what would become of them, if he should take a role in their lives and affairs that God had not made him fit for.

Now that’s how a true leader reasons. He is not just concerned about himself but also concerned about the people. And where he can see that his rights, interests or privileges as a leader will harm the people instead of bless them, he will let go of those privileges or even his position. And that is also what we see in Nehemiah. Though this man was the governor of his people, he would not fully utilise his rights and privileges as governor. Instead, he devoted himself to working for their protection and prosperity.

Why? The first reason was that he could see that the burden of taking care of his office as governor was too heavy for the people to bear. And if he had insisted on utilising all his rights and privileges as governor, he would simply have increased their sufferings. But he would not do that because he had genuine concern for them.

The second reason was that he had the fear of God in him. If he had not had the fear of God, he would still have placed a heavy burden on the people, even though he could see that they could not bear it. All that would be on his mind was that it was his right to do so.

Sadly, we have many leaders all around the world, including parents and church leaders, that are like that. They are always more concerned about the rights, benefits and enjoyment of their positions than the welfare of the people they are leaders over. No wonder a lot of people are suffering in the world today, even though they have leaders over them that are meant to alleviate their sufferings. The leadership over them is not bringing them the comfort they need but is simply adding to their miseries. What a shame!

In any case, the point of all this is that you should learn to show genuine concern for those under you, if you are a leader in any capacity. Otherwise, you are occupying a wrong position and should promptly excuse yourself from there before God Himself removes or replaces you, something that may be too painful for you to bear.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: The test of patience

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date August 13, 2025

fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No.14

“On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”” (Acts 1:4-5NIV)

Who gave the command in our opening text? It was our Lord Jesus Christ. And to whom did He give the command? It was to His disciples.What, then, was the command? It was for them to wait in Jerusalem until they were baptised with the Holy Spirit.But exactly when would they be baptised with the Holy Spirit? The Lord did not tell them. He only said to them, “In a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.” So, they would need to have faith in Him to obey this instruction.

Also, they would need to be patient in order to see what He had spoken of come to realisation. Now did they wait or not? They waited. And did the Holy Spirit come on them or not, as Jesus had promised? He came on them. But how long did they wait for the Holy Spirit to come on them?

Well, bible scholars would have us believe that they waited for about ten days. Jesus died during the Passover feast. And He showed Himself to these disciples in a period of forty days after His resurrection. Then the Holy Spirit came on them on the day of Pentecost, which was just fifty days away from the Passover feast. (Cf. Acts 1:3 & 2:1-4)

In any case, the point is that for those early disciples to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit, they had to be patient in waiting for Him. No one today has to wait like that to be baptised with the Holy Spirit, for He has already been made available by God to baptise all those who believe in Christ Jesus. But those early saints had to wait for Him to first be poured out on all humanity before they could receive Him.

And if they had not been patient in waiting for Him, if they had left Jerusalem a day or two days before He came, only God knows what would have become of them and of the church of Jesus Christ on earth.Thankfully they waited. And I am sure the Lord chose them because He could trust them to wait for as long as they had to until the Holy Spirit be poured out on them.

Can He also trust you and me to wait for Him in any situation? Can He trust us to patiently wait for Him to perfect what He is doing concerning our lives, in spite of the challenges or opposition we may face while waiting?King Saul could not be trusted by God to patiently wait for Hm. So, even before He failed God, He had chosen someone else to replace him (1Sam 13:13-14).

What happened? Well, once when the Israelites were at war with the Philistines, he too was commanded to wait until Samuel could come and offer some sacrifice to God before he would lead his men to war. And he did wait for seven days, the time set by Samuel.

However, when Samuel was not showing up that seventh day, he got impatient at some point and decided to offer the sacrifice himself. Why? It was mainly because his soldiers were deserting him. But should he not have called all of them to order, as their king? He should have done that. But he did not.Then even if all his men left him, was God not with him? Was God not sufficient to win the battle or war with him alone? How many men did Gideon need to defeat the Midianites of his time? Only three hundred men! Yet he defeated them because he had the consciousness that God was with him. (Cf. Judg 6-8)

But Saul did not have that consciousness. So, he allowed the misbehaviour of his men to make him lose his patience and do something God had not given him the right to do. Unfortunately for him, Samuel showed up just when he finished making the sacrifice. That means the man of God still came the very day that he had said he would come. So, he only needed to wait a little longer that day. And if he had, God would have established his kingdom.

Sadly, he failed that test of patience and lost what he was trying to keep. And we too may end up losing what we are desperately trying to keep, save or obtain, if we will not learn to be patient with God. Yes, we may be faced with all kinds of challenges that will give us the impression that God will be too late to save us or to perfect what concerns us. But as long as we function with the consciousness that He cares about us and will never leave us or disappoint us, we must keep on waiting for Him patiently.

Yes, as the apostles of old did while waiting for the Holy Spirit, it will be good for us to keep on strengthening ourselves in prayer and in the word of God, while we are waiting for God to fulfil His purpose for our lives. Yet we must be determined to patiently wait for Him, even if we have to do so till our time is up here. That is the only way we will not fail our test of patience and be fully rewarded by Him.

Cheers!

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Be quick to judge it

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date August 6, 2025

fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No.13

“When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.” (Eccl 8:11NIV)

After Amnon had raped his half-sister, Tamar, many or some of those who were privileged to know about the matter must have been waiting for a sentence to be passed by King David and his officials on the young man. But for some reasons not mentioned in the account, no sentence was immediately passed on him. In fact, judging from the account, it did not look like any sentence was ever going to be passed on him, for two years after, when he was assassinated, the sentence was yet to be carried out. (Cf. 2Sam 13)

Now why was no sentenced passed by King David on Amnon for raping his own sister? As I already pointed out, we are not told in clear terms in the account. It may be because he was the crown prince and sentencing him to death or to exile may not look politically okay. We wouldn’t know the reason for sure.However, because the sentence for his crime was not quickly carried out, Absalom, the elder brother of the rape victim, decided to take the law into his own hand.

Two years later, when everybody thought the matter had been forgotten, he arranged for Amnon to be assassinated. Then he fled.Now was Absalom also punished for murdering his own elder brother? No! Did David send anybody after him to arrest him and make him face justice? No! Then when he came back from the self-exile he had imposed on himself, was he punished by the king? No! Why was he not punished? Again, we are not told in clear terms in the account.

But then, because he was not punished, he had the opportunity he needed to stage a coup to get rid of his father from the throne. And he would have succeeded and destroyed his father, David, if God had not stepped into the situation to deal with him and rescue the nation from his hand. But many lives were needlessly lost in the process. They were needlessly lost because the man that was in a position to judge wickedness failed to do so when he had the chance to do so. (Cf. 2Sam 14-20)

Well, I personally believe that it is because of all this that Solomon, who witnessed it all, says to us in our opening bible text that when the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do evil.

What that means, first, is that when we are in a position to judge wickedness and will not judge it immediately or at all, somebody else that is not in a position to judge it may be filled with enough anger to judge it. And because the person is not motivated by justice but by anger or bitterness, they will most likely go beyond what is appropriate and adequate in judging the matter. Then they will have made a bad situation worse and be exposed to judgment themselves.

Second, when we fail to judge a crime in time, the person involved and other evil doers like them may be encouraged to do more evil. Why do many, for instance, keep on violating traffic rules in our country? The reason is that people are hardly judged for doing so.

So, most people drive their vehicles with the mindset that nothing will happen to them, even if they break all the traffic rules of the land. And think about the number of lives that have been needlessly lost as a result of that. It is unspeakable.In any case, Solomon wants us to know that if we want our society to be sane and healthy for us all to live in, we cannot afford to ignore crimes.

Instead, we must be quick to judge it in accordance with the laws of the land or of wherever we are, especially when we already have enough evidence to do so. Otherwise, before we know it, evil will so multiply against us that we will need divine intervention to judge it. And where that is the case, we ourselves cannot boldly say that we will be safe when all has been said and done.

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