Category: Fire in my Bones

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
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“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
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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

Fire in my Bones

What are you waiting for? |Pst. J.O. Lawal |November 17, 2021 |Series: Youth for Jesus |Number: Vol. 4, No. 28

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date November 18, 2021
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“When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and there, underneath, he had sackcloth on his body. He said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!”” (2Kings 6:30-31NIV)

The bible text above reveals the reaction of a king of Israel after hearing the lamentation of a woman who had come to him for justice. What really went wrong? Well, as the account shows, there had been a famine in the land that made life really miserable for everybody. Unfortunately, the king did know how bad the situation had become until two women came to him and gave him a hint (2Kings 6:24-31).

Now, as one of them pointed out, because of the severity of the famine, she and her friend, neighbour or mate (we are not told exactly what their relationship was) had agreed to slaughter their sons for food. The idea was that she would first release her son for the first day’s meal and then the other woman would release hers for the second day’s meal. And she did release her son the first day. So, they slaughtered him and ate him up.

However, when it was the turn of the other woman to release her son, she was not going to do so. Instead, she went and hid him somewhere safe. But she had joined in eating the son of the woman that dragged her to the king. So, though what they both did was utterly wicked, selfish and irresponsible, something they ought to be executed for, it was only fair that the she also presented her son that they may both eat him up as well. How horrible!

In any case, when the king heard this, he was too shocked to even pass any judgment on the matter. All he could think of doing was mourning for the land and also killing Elisha, the most recognised man of God in the land at the time. But how did he expect his mourning for the land to change the situation of things for the people? Did he really expect it to bring back those that were already dead or eaten up by others as a result of the famine?

Or how did he expect his killing of Elisha to solve the problem? Elisha was the main man of God that had been helping the land with his prophetic instructions and saving this same king and his people from the hands of their enemies (2Kings 6:8-23). Yet he wanted to kill him. He wanted to kill the one with the solution to their problems. Just think about that.

Now, all along, he had known that Elisha was a true man of God and was always available for them to consult. But he did not consult him. He did not meet him to ask for his intercession for the land. He just sat down in his palace and waited for a bad situation to become terribly worse. Why? Basically, it was because the famine was not affecting him and his household much. Yes, they knew there was a famine. But they had no idea how bad it was, seeing that they were living off the provisions of the people.

Think about that. That king and his household were living off the taxes, revenues and gifts that they were taking from their people. Yet when there was a famine, they did not think it wise to do all they could, including humbling themselves before God, to see that the famine did not destroy the people providing for their needs. At least, they should have known that if the famine destroyed the people, then, there would be no one to pay the taxes and revenues they were living off. Unfortunately, they were just too self-occupied to think straight. And I suppose God had to wait until they were faced with the reality of how bad things were for the land before He spoke through His servant, Elisha, to them on how He was going to end their problem. (Cf. 2Kings 6:32-7:1)

In like manner, many of our leaders today, especially in Africa, who live off their people, are too self-occupied to make effort to know how bad things really are for the people that are providing them the money they are using to live their big and large lives. They are just too comfortable to see how bad things are for these people. That is why they will not go to those whom God can use to solve the basic problems of their land for help or even listen to them when they are telling them what can be done and should be done. But once in a while, when they are confronted with the horror of what their people are going through, they start taking some funny and meaningless reactionary measures that may not change a thing or undo the much harm that has been done. God will certainly judge them accordingly.

But perhaps you too are like that. Because of the little comfort you are enjoying now, you are ignoring certain problems that your family, neighbourhood, organisation, business or religious group is faced with. Yet you are in a position to help out or take steps that will solve those problems permanently. The question for you, then, is, “What are you waiting for?” Are you waiting for an already bad situation to become worse? Or are you waiting for what could have been handled as a domestic or communal problem to become a national or personal one?

See, there is no problem that we or the people in our lives may be faced with in this life that is beyond God’s power to handle for us. But God may not do anything to solve our problems for us, if ourselves will not acknowledge the severity of these problems and reach out to Him for help. And a lot of times, we don’t acknowledge and do something about the problems in our world until they become our personal problems. If you, then, do not want any problem being faced by those around you to someday become your personal problem, begin to make use of the grace of God in your life to deal with them. But if you keep pretending as though you could see nothing, a time will come when the Creator and owner of your life, who knows you thoroughly, will see to it that you are rewarded as your actions or inactions deserve (Prov 24:11-12).

Tags Take actions, what are you waiting for?, why

Fire in my Bones

Handling Peninnah |Pst. J.O. Lawal |November 10, 2021 |Series: Youth for Jesus |Number: Vol. 4, No. 26

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date November 10, 2021
No Comments on Handling Peninnah |Pst. J.O. Lawal |November 10, 2021 |Series: Youth for Jesus |Number: Vol. 4, No. 26

fire in my bones

“And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.” (1Sam 1:6-7NIV)

The bible story of Hannah is a very popular one. And it is popular because of the prayer she offered to God for a child and the result that followed. But what drove this woman to pray earnestly concerning her barrenness? It was the harassment that she constantly suffered from her rival that drove her to do so.

As the story goes, Hannah was very much loved by her husband, Elkanah. And though we are not told this in the bible, it could be because she had been barren that the man decided to have another wife who would give him children. Having another wife, however, did not make Elkanah stop loving Hannah. He kept on showering love on her, so that she would not ruin herself with depression because of her childlessness. (Cf. 1Sam 1:3-8)

What this means is that if this woman had not had any rival in her home, she may not have taken that bold step of faith to pray earnestly to God about her problem. But she had a rival. Peninnah was her name. And it was this Peninnah that God used to eventually drive the woman to pray to receive not just one child but six children (1Sam 2:18-21).

How, then, did that happen? As the account further shows us, Peninnah made sure life was miserable for Hannah because of her childlessness. In other words, she kept on doing and saying things that would provoke her and make her cry over and over again. Why? Maybe she wanted her to abandon her home and run away or to kill herself or to just do something stupid that would remove her from that family. Only God could have known exactly what was on her mind.

At any rate, the fact is that the world has never had a shortage of people like Peninnah. They are the kind that always use others’ predicaments, handicaps, lack or weaknesses to taunt them or drive them crazy. They are nothing but oppressors. And perhaps you even have one or more of them around you now. They can be a neighbour, a colleague at work or a family member. But you can see that they are doing all they can to make life uneasy or miserable for you because you do not have certain things they have or because you are not able to do certain things they are able to do. They are the Peninnah in your life.

Now I want you to know that such people have no fear or knowledge of God in them at all. Otherwise, they would have known that there is nothing they themselves have that they have not received from God. And since they have received everything from Him, they have no right to boast about anything they have that gives them an edge over others or to despise those who do not have what they have. (Cf. 1Cor 4:7)

But then, should you surrender yourself to their harassment, oppression or threats and put yourself at their mercy? No! Should you allow them to continue to make you mad, depressed or sorrowful? No! Or should you allow them to make you embrace wickedness and begin to fight them back with anything you can think of or lay your hands on? No!

See, one main reason Satan is using such people against you is to make you lose your faith in God. And once you lose your faith in God, you are going to destroy your character and, of course, your life. That way, your enemies would have won. So, don’t give them any reason to rejoice over your ruin or defeat. Instead, act like Hannah. And what did Hannah do? Hannah prayed to God.

Why did she pray to God? First, it was because she realised that by crying all the time and going crazy because of what Peninnah was doing, she was just giving her more power over her. More so, her crying and going crazy could not in any way solve the problem. On the contrary, it may even make her kill herself or everybody in the house someday. So, she gave up on crying and going crazy and instead prayed to God. And she prayed to Him because she knew that He had the power to solve her problem and change her story. Did He, then, solve her problem and change her story or not? He did.

Mind you, as the bible points out to us, from the moment she prayed to God about the matter, the peace of God took charge of her life and she was no longer sorrowful (1Sam 1:18). So, if you too have any Peninnah in your life. Don’t give them more power by crying or going mad because of what they are doing to frustrate you. And don’t allow them to drive you to become like them by embracing wickedness or idolatry of any form. Instead, see whatever they are doing as God’s means of driving you to earnestly pray to Him about the matter at hand. And just as He comforted and vindicated Hannah, He will comfort and vindicate you too, if you don’t give up.

Cheers!

Tags BARENNESS, Handling Peninnah, LIFE

Fire in my Bones

They spent their time doing nothing | Pst J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date November 6, 2021
No Comments on They spent their time doing nothing | Pst J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones

Date: November 03, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 25

“All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.” (Acts 17:21NIV)

That was Luke’s remark about the Athenians of Paul’s time. They spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas in town or from around the world. In other words, these people were not serious about being productive with their lives. They were not serious about doing things that would result in the development of their lives, homes or city. Instead, all they were ever serious about was discussing the latest ideas in the world.

Unfortunately, the culture of the Athenians of that times is still very much alive in the world today. It is the reason millions all around the world waste their precious time and lives everyday on social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and so forth, doing nothing but entertaining themselves. Am I saying it is wrong for to be on these platforms or to use them? No, not at all.

Look, these platforms are great platforms created to make the world and what is going on in it almost immediately available and accessible to everyone. And those who are wise among us are daily making utmost use of them to increase in learning, increase their earnings or increase their influence and usefulness in life. But the majority who use them are only wasting their time, energy and even money on them, doing things that are not in any way moving their lives forward or making their lives better. That is besides the fact that many of them are also getting their lives corrupted, ruined or unduly exposed to danger through them. And that is a shame.

Now, of course, it is not only by spending time on some online social media platforms that one can waste his life. There are other ways through which we can waste ourselves in unproductive living. For example, there are employees who, every blessed day, go from office to office peddling useless news with the time they ought to be using to move the business or organisation they work for forward. And there are those who, every new day, use the time and energy they should be using to build their own businesses, careers, lives or homes in some friends’ shops, just to gist and talk about irrelevancies and nonsense.

What about those who spend hours everyday in beer parlours, game houses or motor parks, doing nothing but talking, laughing and making ridiculous jokes and comments about others that are busy moving their lives forward? All such people are not just wasting their lives but are also hindering the growth and development of whatever family, business, organisation or society they belong in. They are idle minds and hands.

So, as Solomon tells us, individuals like such are not different from destroyers of good things (Prov 18:9). In other words, since they are not building up themselves, their families and their society, they are simply destroying them. And seriously, we should start having very strong laws from the government and our various private businesses that will fix them, keep them from wasting our common resources and get them busy doing what is right and profitable with their lives and for everyone.

If you, then, are one of them, if you are one of those who do nothing but waste their lives on irrelevancies and rubbish, you need to change your ways. That is because you are not just hurting yourself; you are also hurting all of us by wasting the space, time and resources God could have given to others to build up of our world and make it a better and more enjoyable place for everyone.

Tags spent, their time

Fire in my Bones

The cost of desperation | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date October 27, 2021
No Comments on The cost of desperation | Pst. J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones

Date: October 27, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 24

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.” (Gen 16:1-3NIV)

What led Sarah to acting the way she is reported in our opening bible text to have acted? Desperation! She was desperate to have a child for her husband, Abraham. And though God had promised to give them a child of their own, she just could not be patient to receive the fulfilment of the promise. Why? She was considering her age at the time. She had already passed the age of child bearing and her husband also had become an old man. In fact, he was ten years older than her. (Cf. Gen 17:17)

So, even though she believed God, she still felt that she had to do something about their childlessness before it was too late. That, of course, was because of her love for her husband. He had been faithful to her all the years of their marriage and had not gone after any other woman in order to have a child. Therefore, she must have thought that if there was anything she could do to make him have a child, apart from waiting on God, she would give it a try. That was what led to her suggesting that her husband sleep with her slave, Hagar. And the idea was that any child that came through the union would be hers as well, since Hagar herself was her property. Interestingly, her husband agreed to do what she had suggested, went in to Hagar and slept with her. And she conceived, as they had wished.

But then, just when Sarah was beginning to think that she had won and that her move, carried out in desperation, had paid off, Hagar began to misbehave. Why? It must have been because the care she was already receiving from Abraham got into her head. So, she totally forgot her place as a slave in that house and began to see herself as her mistress’ mate. At least, she had proven that the problem was with her mistress and not with her husband. And “Who knows,” she must have thought, “I may eventually become the madam of this house after giving my master a child.”

Now do you know that situation could actually have made Sarah lose her home? There have been women who lost their homes in very similar situations. So, if her husband had not feared God and truly cherished her, maybe Hagar’s pregnancy would have given her a chance to go from being a slave to becoming the madam of the house. But because her husband feared God and also loved and cherished her, he allowed her to handle the matter as she pleased. So, she dealt so ruthless with Hagar that she ran way from the house. And though she was restored because of God’s mercy, at some point, she and her son still had to be sent away for peace to reign in that home. (Cf. Gen 16&21)

What, then, is the point of all this? it is that when we are desperate to have something or do something, we are likely to take just about any step without counting the cost. But steps taken in desperation often come with very serious consequences. In Sarah’s case, the step she took in desperation in order to solve her problem of childlessness almost cost her husband’s love and home. Also, it turned her into a callous and cold-blooded person who was willing to do anything to save her home.

Therefore, before you ignore the word of God or common sense and take that step out of desperation, think about the cost. Yes, think about the likely consequences of what you are about to do because of your desperation. That step you take today may indeed solve your immediate problem or meet your immediate need. But will it not create more problems for you in the future, problems that may ultimately take away from you what you are so desperately trying to have or protect? So, you need to think carefully about this before doing anything stupid, just because you are desperate.

And remember this: God is never late. So, as long as you trust in Him and are acting on His word, He will certainly make all things beautiful for you at the right time, even when all hope seems to be lost (Ecc 3:11).