Category: Fire in my Bones

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

“And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.”
(2Sam 6:23NIV)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tags alaythia bible church, christianity, counsel, Faith, Fire in my bones, She missed her opportunity, wisdom

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay blessed.

Fire in my Bones wisdom for living Youth for Jesus

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

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date January 14, 2022
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“Three of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD. “God forbid that I should do this!” he said. “Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?” Because they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.” (1Chron 11:15-19NIV)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tags choosing a team, getting the right team, how to choose your team, team

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

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

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date January 7, 2022
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fire in my bones

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tags watch, watch out

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Don’t let them put you in trouble | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date December 31, 2021
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fire in my bones

Date: December 29, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 33

“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Heb 12:15NIV)

One of the things to learn from the bible story of Achan is that the sin of one person can put an entire nation, community or family in trouble. Achan, as the account goes, was the one that sinned against God by stealing some of the items devoted to Him when Israel was taking over the city of Jericho. Yet when the judgment for his sin came, it was the whole nation that suffered for it. Interestingly, he was not even among the people that died when the nation fell before the city of Ai, showing that it is not every time that people cause trouble that they partake directly in suffering for it. (Cf. Joshua 7)

But could the defeat that the nation of Israel experienced on that occasion have been avoided? I believe it could have been avoided, if the people in the lives of that man, Achan, had been watchful enough. If his wife, children and other people with him had been paying attention to his movement and dealings and asking him relevant questions, they would, by the help of God, have been able to detect that he was up to no good and expose him. At least, as the account reveals, what he stole was kept inside his tent. When did he take it into his tent? How was he able to successfully hide it there, without anybody knowing or suspecting?

Of course, when people are filled with the desire to do evil, Satan will always help them come up with ingenious ways of carrying it out. But if there is someone who cares enough about them to keep an eye on them and on what they are doing with their lives, they may be prevented from doing things that will destroy them or put those in their lives in trouble.

Achan’s immediate family members suffered and died with him, not because they were partakers of his sin but because they were not watchful enough to know what he was doing and to expose it. Many today too are suffering for certain sins committed by some people in their lives because they were not watchful enough to discover their involvement in the dangerous things that eventually brought calamities on them and those in their lives. And if we too will not take watching what those in our lives are doing with their lives very seriously, so that we can hinder or prevent them from getting involved in what might get them or us in trouble, we will often find ourselves suffering for sins we have not committed.

All of this is why we are instructed in our opening bible text to see it that no one in our lives ignores or abuses the grace of God and get involved in things that will put them and us as well in trouble. Of course, this instruction is originally directed to churches of God to show them the kind of mutual attention they are to give towards watching one another, so that none of them ends up causing trouble for everyone. But it is something that individuals can also apply to their lives, marriages, homes, businesses and so forth. That way, they can prevent the people in their lives or around them from putting them in needless troubles.

So, keep your eyes open to see what is happening in the lives of the people in your life and around you. And stop acting as though what they were doing with their lives is not your concern or problem, for it may someday become your problem. I am not saying you should begin to unduly meddle in people’s affairs or that you should start suspecting every move the people in your life make. Rather, I am saying be alert and sensitive to observe anything in the lives of those in your life or around you that appears to be inconsistent with the righteousness of God or that looks like a trap to get them in trouble. That way, you can warn them, pray intelligently for them and also take necessary steps to protect them or to keep yourself from being a part of their problem.

May God’s wisdom to do this as occasions demand fill your heart continually, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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

Tags dont let them, dont let them put you in trouble, trouble

Fire in my Bones

Manage your position with wisdom | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date December 24, 2021
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fire in my bones

Date: December 22, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 32

“A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son, and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.” (Prov 17:2NIV)

When the prodigal son lost it all and had to go and get a job, he confessed to himself that even the servants in his father’s house were better off than him. In other words, their living conditions as servants were far better than his own living conditions as a son. So, he concluded that he would go back to his father’s house and beg him to take him in, not as a son but as a servant. (Cf. Luke 15:11-20)

But why did he find himself in that situation? He found himself there because he did not manage the rights, opportunities and privileges that his position as a son in his father’s house gave to him with wisdom. And that is what Solomon is speaking about in our opening bible text. There he tells us that our position in life is not what is really important; what is really important is how we conduct ourselves in whatever position we are.

As he points out, even if we start out in life as a servant or an errand person, occupying a low place in life, if we will conduct ourselves and our affairs with wisdom, at some point, God is able to raise us up to sit, dine and rule with princes. And if we start out in life in a position of advantage, having access to riches, honour, affluence and so forth, if we will not learn to conduct ourselves and our affairs with wisdom, at some point, we will realise that we have lost it all and that some that should have been our servants are now the ones ruling over us.

Remember Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. Remember that it was lack of wisdom, prudence and character that made him lose the larger part of the kingdom that his father left for him to his father’s servant, Jeroboam. Yes, of course, it was the will of God for Jeroboam to become king and to have the larger part of that kingdom. But it was this man’s foolishness that made it very easy for what God wanted to come to pass. So, if you are given to handling your affairs with a foolish mind, regardless of how high or lofty your position in life may be, you will just be making it easy for people of lesser influences or of lower places in life to push you aside and take over what God has given to you. (Cf. 1Kings 11:26-12:24)

Then remember Joseph too. Remember that even though he started out in Potiphar’s house as a slave, he ended up being the administrator of that man’s house because he conducted his life and affairs with wisdom. Potiphar may have had sons and daughters at that time. But nothing is said in the bible about them or about any of them being the one in charge of his house. Joseph was the one in charge. And he was in charge because overtime he proved to Potiphar that he had what it takes to do so. (Cf. Gen 39)

In like manner, even if you are in a low place in life now, God is able to lift you up to a high place of leadership, power, influence and riches. But you will need to show those that He may want to use to lift you up that you have abilities that belong in the high place of life. Otherwise, it does not matter your level of faith in Him, you may never rise beyond where you are. So, don’t just desire to leave your low place in life for a high place; also, cultivate attributes that will make you fit to function in the high places of life. Then when God opens the door for your lifting, you will not waste the opportunity but be ready to make the most of it.

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Remember where you came from | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 08, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 30

“Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.” (Deut 24:17-18NIV)

Among the things that are most difficult to manage in life is comfort. And that is because it can make one totally forget where he is coming from or what he has been through in life. To say the fact, God loves to do for people things that will make them forget their years of pains, miseries or sufferings. And that is to show them how powerful He is. For instance, when Joseph would name his firstborn child, he called him Manasseh, meaning God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household (Gen 41:51). That means God did for this young man things that made him look like someone that had never suffered in life.

In like manner, He is still doing for people today things that will turn their lives around and make them forget all their years of pains and sufferings. And why is He doing this? It is so that those He is lifting and comforting may also use their position of comfort and prosperity to help others who may be suffering or experiencing pains the way they used to.

Look at what Paul says about this: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2Cor 1:3-4NIV) Did you see that? Apart from the fact that God wants us to live in comfort in life, He also wants us to be instruments through which others will experience His comfort in life. That means we are not the only ones He has in mind when He leads us into comfort and prosperity; He has others around us in mind as well. And we will do well to keep this in mind, so that we do not allow our comfort and prosperity to make us blind to the sufferings of others around us.

Unfortunately, there are many today that comfort and prosperity have blinded already. These ones were lifted by God out of some sticky mud of misery and poverty and set on a solid rock of comfort and prosperity. And they were lifted up by Him like this so that they too could begin to do things that would lift some others out of their muds of misery, poverty or shame and set them on some solid ground of peace and prosperity. But instead of allowing themselves to be used by God in this way, they are yielding themselves to be used by the devil to add to the sorrow and pains of the afflicted ones around them.

You only need to look at the way some rich and influential people today treat their employees, neighbours or other people that are subject to them, and you would most likely conclude that they had never tasted suffering in life. But they have tasted it. In fact, if you hear the stories of what some of them experienced in their days of poverty, you would know that only God could have made them survive. Yet these same people, who have had their own fair share of oppression and affliction, now no longer see anything wrong in oppressing or afflicting others. Why? They have totally forgotten what it looks like to suffer. And if care is not taken, at some point, God may have to send them or their descendants back to where they came from, examples of which abound all around us.

At any rate, it is so that God wouldn’t have to treat us in that manner that He sends us the warnings that we have in our opening bible text. There He tells His people, the Israelites, to remember where they had come from in order to settle in that land of comfort and prosperity that He gave them. They had come from Egypt, that house of furnace, where they were shamefully and brutally treated for more than three hundred years. And now that they have rest and peace of mind from Him, if they are not careful, they also will not know when they will start treating the strangers and the poor and weak people among them just exactly the way the Egyptians treated them. Then, they would open the door for the wrath of God to come upon them.

In the same vein, if, in our days of comfort and prosperity, we do not continually remind ourselves what life once looked like for us, if we do not continually remind ourselves of how God set us free from the hands of certain powerful people that would have made an end of our lives or of all the pledges we made never to oppress anyone if God should deliver us, then, we too may end up becoming worse than our oppressors. Perhaps you have already become worse than those who once oppressed you, especially in the way you treat the people that are now under you. The word of the Lord is coming to you now in order that you may retrace your steps and repent before it is too late. Otherwise, God may change His mind about you and send you back to where He picked you up from or put an end to whatever plans He has to further lift you up or prosper you (Jer 18:9-10).

I pray that things won’t have to end like that for you. I pray that God will never have to send you or your family back into any place of suffering that He already rescued you from, so that you may learn afresh whatever you failed to learn before about how to treat people. But you too have to learn to do what is right and pleasing to Him with whatever measure of peace of mind or comfort He has given you in all your relationships with others. And may you be continually strengthened to do so, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Tags Fire in my bones, remembrance

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Guard yourself against them | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 15, 2021 |Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 31

Guard yourself against them

“Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.” (2Tim 4:14-15NIV)

God, as we see in Scriptures, is able to protect and safe His children from all kinds of wicked and unreasonable men. He is, in fact, able to protect them from all the traitors and saboteurs in their lives. But then, His children also must learn to be on their guard against individuals that have clearly revealed themselves as enemies or as having tendencies to become enemies. This is so that they will not foolishly walk into their traps or snares.

For example, in our opening bible text, Paul reminds his son in the faith, Timothy, of a man called Alexander and of how this man had shown himself to be his enemy. Why? It is so that Timothy will be on his guard against him. God, of course, is able to protect Timothy against all of this man’s wicked plans and works. However, it will be foolish of Timothy not to take whatever righteous measure that is in his power to take to protect himself against this man, seeing that God has already revealed him as his enemy.

See, we must understand that it is not everybody that their earthly life is meant to end the way our Lord’s earthly life ended. Our Lord surrendered Himself to be betrayed and killed because He knew that God was going to use His death and resurrection to save the world. So, even though He knew the traitor among His men and all that this traitor was doing to hand Him over to His enemies, He did not do anything to protect Himself against him. But since none of us has been chosen for that purpose, it will be unwise of us, then, to ignore any sign or revelation to us from God about what certain people may be planning to do to hurt us.

To say the fact, one of the ways God protects us against the wickedness of our enemies is by revealing who they really are, what they are capable of doing and what they are planning against us to us. Yes, of course, we will still need to function by His wisdom to make use of whatever information or knowledge He gives to us along this line. But we must surely make use of it. Otherwise, we may end us suffering or dying where He never intends us to die.

For example, there was a time that some Jews, more than forty men actually, bound themselves with an oath to kill Paul the apostle. And they told their religious leaders what to do in order to make this happen. But God, in His kindness, revealed their plot Paul’s nephew. And he came and told him about it. Interestingly, the night before those people hatched their wicked plan, the Lord had appeared to Paul in a vision and assured him that he would certainly testify about him in Rome. That means it was not His intention for this man to die at that time. Yet He did not say anything to him about what those wicked Jews were planning. Instead, it was his sister’s son that He used to reveal it to him. (Cf. Acts 23:1-16)

Now why did the Lord not reveal that matter to Paul in that vision? Though we are not told the reason in the bible, I personally believe it was because the soldiers holding him at that time would most likely not have believed him. And if they did not believe him, they would not do anything to protect him. But when his nephew came with details of the plans of those wicked men and shared everything with the commander of those soldiers, he believed the young man and immediately made adequate and effective plans for Paul to be protected and taken away from that region. (Cf. Acts 23:17-35)

What is the point of all this? It is that it is not every time that God will use His angels or some supernatural acts to warn or protect us from our enemies. There are times that it is people or circumstances that He will use to reveal our enemies and their plots against us to us. And when this is the case, He expects us to take whatever legitimate steps we can take to frustrate them or guard ourselves against them. That is what we learn from Paul’s case. Though he may have prayed to God to protect him against his Jewish enemies, he also took advantage of the fact that he was in a military camp to protect himself against them.

So, when God’s has revealed your enemies or what they are doing to you, don’t stop only at praying for protection against them; instead, also take whatever honest or legitimate steps you can take to guard yourself against them. And may you continually be filled with the right measure of wisdom and boldness to make the most of God’s revelation to you in protecting yourself and all that is yours and that you love against all forms of wickedness and evil. Amen.

Tags Fire in my bones, guard yourself, Guard yourself against them

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Wait for your time | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 01, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 29

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date December 2, 2021
No Comments on Wait for your time | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 01, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 29

“Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart and he slumped down in his chariot. Jehu said to Bidkar, his chariot officer, “Pick him up and throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember how you and I were riding together in chariots behind Ahab his father when the LORD made this prophecy about him: ‘Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, declares the LORD, and I will surely make you pay for it on this plot of ground, declares the LORD.’ Now then, pick him up and throw him on that plot, in accordance with the word of the LORD.”” (2Kings 9:24-26NIV)

There is an adage in Yoruba, which when translated in English, says, “Until a child is holding the sword of judgment firmly in his hands, he wouldn’t be making certain enquiries about what was responsible for his father’s death.” And that is often the case in judging wickedness. Until someone has some measure of authority and power at his disposal, it does not matter how unhappy he is with the wickedness going on under his watch, he may not be able to effectively deal with it or judge it.

Now such was the case with Jehu, an Israel’s army general that was later anointed by God to be king in place of Joram, son of Ahab. As we see in our opening bible text, on the day that this man began to judge the wickedness of the house of Ahab, he reminded his chariot officer that both of them were with their master, Ahab, when the prophecy came that he and his family would certainly pay for the innocent blood of Naboth that they had shed. That indicates they too were not happy about the wickedness and bloodshed that characterised the reign of that man.

But could they do anything about the wickedness of his household at the time they were serving him? No! Why? It was because they did not have the authority or power to do so. And why did they not have the power or authority to do so? It was because it was not yet their time to have it.

However, the moment Jehu was ordained by God and also instructed by Him to make haste to judge the house of Ahab, he lost no time at all in doing so. Why? He knew that he had God’s authority and backing on this one and was bound to succeed. And he did succeed.

But then, you know that it was possible for some people who knew Jehu while he was still serving Ahab to have castigated him for not doing anything about his master’s wickedness or to even have associated him with his master’s wickedness. And that would be because they did not understand that even if someone is a lover of justice, there are things he cannot judge unless he has the authority and power to do so. And if he should dare to judge such things without having the power and authority to do so, he will most likely pay very dearly for it.

So, if you know any godly person that seems to be acting weak or docile in his position of authority, don’t be quick to judge them. That is because they may just be dealing with situations that they have no power, authority or wisdom to handle. And will God, then, be happy with you for condemning or judging them for something He has not given them abilities and opportunities to handle? I don’t think so.

Solomon says, “Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. Even the king milks the land for his own profit!” (Eccl 5:8-9NLT) Did you see that? A lot of times, the number and ranks of those involved in making justice impossible in a place may just be too much to imagine. And without God’s backing, favour and authority, if you try to maintain justice in such a place, you may just end up perishing in a den of lions. (Cf. Dan 6)

Therefore, if you are passionate about maintain justice for God and man where you are, and you should be, if you are truly a child of God, then, be sure God has already delivered to you the authority, power and people to do so. Otherwise, wait for your time. Yes, wait until God bestows on you the authority and power to judge wickedness and maintain justice where you are, for that is only when you will succeed in doing so. And if you are wondering what you should be doing before that time, then, I will tell you this: First, be praying that God will hasten His handling of the authority and power that you need to judge wickedness and uphold justice to you. Second, continue to use your position now to promote whatever measure of righteousness it permits you to promote.

And may God strengthen you and make you alive, well and ready when the time comes for Him to use you to set right whatever is wrong in your world.

Tags christianity, counsel, Faith, Fire in my bones, wait for your time, waiting on God, waiting period, waiting time, wisdom

Fire in my Bones

Find your strength in Him | By: J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date November 24, 2021
No Comments on Find your strength in Him | By: J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones

Date: November 24, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 29

“David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.” (1Sam 30:6NIV)

Why was David distressed on the occasion mentioned in the bible text above? He was distressed because his fighting men were talking about stoning him? But why were they talking about stoning him? It was because each of them was bitter in spirit because their wives, sons and daughters had been taking captive by the Amalekites. And they blamed him for it. They blamed him for it because he was their leader that took them far away from their family without leaving some armed men behind to protect them.

So, in a sense, David was actually to blame for their misery. But stoning him or killing him in any way was not going to bring their wives, children and possessions that had been captured back to them. Also, it could not in any way have brought comfort to their hearts or taken away the sorrow of losing their loved ones. But because they allowed their distress to overwhelm them, they totally forgot that David had always been a good, kind and reliable leader to them all and to their families and began to think of killing him.

Perhaps you too are in a similar situation right now. You made a mistake or certain circumstances have come up against you that are threatening to destroy you or your reputation. And instead for the people that you have loved and cared for to show some sympathy and help you walk in victory over what you are faced with, all they can think or talk about is how to punish you for allowing your problem to become their personal problem or how to make sure your problem does not become their personal problem.

Now how you respond in such situations will go a long way in determining whether they go from bad to worse or are turned around by God for your good. In David’s case, though he must have felt really bad that his men and friends, whom he loved dearly and had been taken care of, could be so selfish in that situation that all they could think about was killing him instead of rallying round him to find a solution to their common predicament. Nevertheless, he did not fight or argue with them. Why? First, it must have been because he admitted in his heart that what happened was partly his fault. He overlooked a part of his leadership function, which was to secure the lives and properties of his people. So, in that instance, he failed them.

Second, David did not fight or try to defend himself before his men on this occasion because he knew that it would not solve their problem. On the contrary, it would only make an already bad situation worse. So, instead of trying to defend himself, he turned to God for comfort, strength and restoration. And did he find these things, which he could not find in his warriors and friends, in Him or not? He did. As the account further shows us, David not only found strength and comfort in God on this occasion, he also found victory over his enemies in Him. He was able, through God’s enablement, to defeat those who had taken his people captive, take back everybody and everything they had captured and also take the goods of these enemies of his. (Cf. 1Sam 30)

How seriously we need such leaders like David today, leaders who will admit their wrongs when they are wrong instead of acting in arrogance, leaders who will seek God’s face and take every step within their power to solve the problems of their people instead of trading blames? Unfortunately, what we have in many places of authority today are selfish, self-occupied and arrogant leaders, who busy themselves with fighting and insulting everyone that is pointing out their flaws instead of admitting their failures and dealing with them.

In any case, you don’t have to be a leader to be in a situation similar to David’s. And if you too will look to God for your comfort, strength, boldness and wisdom to do the right thing, you will certainly walk in victory over whatever that situation throws at you. But if, instead of doing this, you give in to bitterness, quarrelling or blame trading, you will soon enough realise that you have made a bad situation worse for yourself and others. And the following consequences may not be pleasant at all.

Tags encouragement, Find, find your strength, find your strength in him, your strength