Category: Fire in my Bones

Title: A blessing in disguise

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date October 29, 2025

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 25

“So Achish called David and said to him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until now, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don’t approve of you. Turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers.”” (1Sam 29:6-7NIV)

From what we see in our opening bible text, the only reason Achish, a Philistine ruler, would not allow David and his men to march with his army on that occasion was that other Philistine rulers did not approve of him.

As for Achish, he trusted David very much and considered him to be one of his loyal servants. So, if he had any battle to fight, he would not hesitate at all to allow him to fight along with his men, even though he was not a Philistine but an Israelite. And that was because David had cleverly done all that he could to gain the man’s trust.

However, that day, the battle was going to be between the Philistines and the Israelites. And though David had gained the trust of Achish, he had not gained the trust of the other Philistine rulers. So, they judged that he may suddenly go back to his former master, King Saul, in the heat of the battle, and betray them. And that was unacceptable for them.

Therefore, they insisted that Achish send him and his men back home, which he did.Now were they right to judge David in that manner? Yes, they were. To say the fact, if Achish himself had known all the truth about what David had been up to, since he started staying with him, he would not have trusted him as he had done.

And even if David had been entirely true to him, it would still have been unwise for all those other kings to assume that they would have his unfailing devotion in fighting against his own people, the Israelites. So, they were right to send him and his men away that day. (Cf. 1Sam 27)

Did that, then, please David and his men? No, it did not please them at all. Why? It does not matter, actually. That is because whether they intended to truly fight for the Philistines or they planned to betray them at the battle front, their expectations did not come to pass.

So, they couldn’t have been happy. But since Achish had told them not to do anything to anger the Philistine rulers, they had to leave in peace.Thankfully, that disappointment turned out to be a blessing in disguise for them. How? Well, as we are further shown in the account, while they were with the Philistines, getting ready for battle, Amalekite raiders were already raiding their camp. And by the time they got back there on the third day, all their wives, children and possessions had been captured and taken away. (Cf. 1Sam 30:1-2)

That, of course, demoralised all of them terribly. But David still managed to find strength in God in that hour to purse those raiders and take back all that they had stolen from them. And when they came back from dealing with them, they had become exceedingly wealthy. (Cf. 1Sam 30:3-31)

But what if they had not met with disappointment from the Philistine rulers? They would certainly have gone with them to battle against the Israelites. And regardless of the outcome of that battle, they would not have been in a position to save their families and possessions from those Amalekite raiders. It would just have been too late for them to do so. So, the disappointment they suffered was actually a blessing in disguise.

What, then, is this teaching us? It is that we should not lose ourselves or our minds because of any form of disappointment. And we should not allow any disappointment to make us destroy or discard a good and edifying relationship. That is because that disappointment may just be a blessing in disguise.

See, one main reason people disappoint us, even when they mean well, is that they are not God. As such, they are not in charge of life or its circumstances. God is the one in charge of all of life. And because He is the one in charge of life, He can turn any circumstance of life, including a disappointing one, around for our good. (Cf. Rom 8:28)

So, we should learn to anticipate disappointments and to prepare our minds not to allow it to discourage us or to ruin beautiful relationships for us. That way, if we are disappointed by anyone, we will be able to see what God has done, is doing or can do to turn that disappointment into a blessing in disguise.

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)

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: An image that doesn’t exist

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date October 22, 2025

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 24

“Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food.” (Prov 12:9NIV)

With the widespread use of the social media and Artificial Intelligence (AI), we are confronted like never before with pretence of very great proportions everywhere we turn today. What I mean is that many are now labouring hard to show themselves to the world as rich, influential, important and powerful, when they are really nothing. And why are they doing this? Desire for the praise of men!Unfortunately, many of God’s people are also being moved to do likewise.

So, if they cough, they too want the whole world to know. If they wear a new dress or a new hairstyle, they want someone somewhere to know about it. And if they don’t have a new dress or hairstyle to show off, they will let ‘AI’ do the trick for them and project about them whatever they want others to see.Now don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that you should not use the available social media platforms or ‘AI’ to project whatever you want people to see or know about you.

Rather, I am saying you should check your reasons for doing so and also be sure that what you are projecting about yourself is the truthYou want people to see you as good looking, calm and prosperous in life. That is fine. But are you actually good looking, collected and doing well in life at the moment? Or are you merely deceiving yourself?Perhaps what you want is for people to see that your business is doing well and can serve them well in some ways.

So, you are putting all kinds of images and videos of yourself and that business out there for people to see. And that is also fine. But is what you are projecting really the truth? Or are you merely fooling yourself and others?Then why do you want others to see whatever image of yourself you are projecting? Is it merely for the praise of men? Is it to update your people on certain truths they need to know about you and whatever you are up to, truths that they may not be able to learn through any other means? Or is it just to go along with the crowd?

Well, as Solomon tells us in our opening text, it is better to be a nobody and yet have people that you are well able to cater for than to pretend to be somebody and be living in hunger. In other words, instead of using your time lying and doing all kinds of silly things to gain attention, why don’t you give yourself to doing something meaningful that will make you a truly responsible person?

See, many of the so-called influenzers or socialites today are broke and unhappy. Yes, it may seem that they have the attention of the whole world. But they are broke, frustrated, unhappy and useless to themselves and others in their lives. That’s why they often end up killing themselves or their loved ones.

If you too, then, should walk in their steps, wasting your time, energy and whatever resources you have on projecting an image of yourself that does not exist, you will most likely end up like them. That is because you will have unconsciously driven true help away from yourself. So, frustration is bound to be the fruit that you will reap.Well, my point is that you need to stop wasting your time, energy and resources on projecting an image of yourself that does not exist.

Instead, give yourself to doing something legitimate with your hands, something through which God’s blessings can overwhelm your life. And when He is done with you, you won’t need to project anything about yourself or your work. That is because there will be many that will gladly do so for you for free, for the results will be speaking for themselves.

Cheers!

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

Fire in my Bones General Post Youth for Jesus

Title: Take care of the barbs and thorns

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date October 15, 2025

fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 23

“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.” (Numbers 33:55NIV)

Whose words do we have here in our opening text? Moses’ words. And who did he say them to? He said them to the children of Israel. Why? It was to give them the wisdom of God for their survival and enjoyment in the land that God was giving to them.Evidently, God was set to give them the land of Canaan, as He had promised their forefathers.

However, their enjoyment of the blessings of that land was not automatic. They would also need to live according to His wisdom there. Otherwise, not only would they not enjoy His goodness in the land as they ought to, they may also end up losing the land to their enemies.Now, in His wisdom, He told them to get rid of all the original inhabitants of the land. He told them not to be merciful to them and spare them.

Otherwise, they would become barbs in their eyes and thorns in their sides.What does that mean? Well, it means that those people that they refuse to drive out of the land would become a constant source of irritation or trouble to them. How? By constantly seeking ways to take the land back from them, by luring them into unholy marriages and by seducing them into the worship of idols and other wicked practices.

But then, did these people listen to the wisdom of God and act accordingly? No, they did not listen. So, what He had said would happen to them eventually happened to them. The inhabitants of the land of Canaan that they refused to completely drive out became barbs in their eyes and thorns in their sides. They continued to harass them and to seduce them to act against the will of God. So, they could not enjoy the blessings of God in the land as they could have. In fact, they were, at some point, driven away from the land into slavery. What a shame!

Now what is the point of all this? It is that there are people and things that can only be barbs in our eyes and thorns in our sides, as long as they are with us. And that may not be because they are evil in themselves. Rather, it is just because they are channels through which trouble, pollution, discontentment or destruction may constantly gain access into our lives.

So, we need to pay attention to our relationships with people and with things and what sort of things are gaining entrance into our lives through them. That way, we will know who and what we need to stay away from or to send away from our lives. This is said to us in the bible about Abraham: “Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.” (Gen 25:5-6NIV)

Why did Abraham send away from Isaac the sons of his concubines? It was so that they would not become a constant source of trouble for the young man. And when did he send them away? It was when he was still alive and could properly see to it that they obey him.

So, he took care of what could end up becoming barbs in the eyes of Isaac and thorns in his side when he had the breath of life, the strength and the resources to do so. And we never see in the bible any record that any of these sons of his became a problem for Isaac after Abraham’s death. We too need to take care of anything or anyone that may end up becoming or that has already become barbs in our eyes or thorns in our sides without any form of hesitation.

That, of course, may not require sending them away, for it is not everyone that is in a relationship with us that we can send away at will and not sin against God. But it may require putting some measures in place that will make it impossible for anyone to become a barb in our eyes or a thorn in our sides.

Now will that be easy? It may not be easy. It may not even be possible without some immediate problems erupting. But if we will pray to God about this, He will supply us with sufficient strength, wisdom, determination, courage and opportunities to do the right thing. We just need to keep in mind the fact that we must take care of the barbs and thorns in our lives before it is too late.

Cheers!

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

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!

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