Category: Fire in my Bones

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Fire in my Bones

When it is not yours to possess | Pst. J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: October 20, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 23

“Then the LORD said to me, “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.'”” (Deut 2:2-6NIV)

Before God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, He had made it very clear to them that it was the land of Canaan that He was giving to them as their inheritance. But it was obvious that before getting to this land, they would have to pass through some other lands, which may also be very good lands. And while passing through these other lands, they may be tempted to want to possess them for themselves. So, through Moses, God had to warn them in advance of the futility of wanting to take for themselves what He had chosen for them. That is the reason for what we have in our opening text.

As we see in that text, God makes it very clear to the Israelites that they would certainly pass through the territory of the descendants of Esau on their way to possessing the land He had promised to give them. But that land is not for them but for Esau. In fact, God specifically says that He has already given that land to Esau. Therefore, they are not to covet it or try to fight for it. Otherwise, their effort is going to be in futility. He Himself will fight against them and make sure they do not succeed in taking even a foot of that land.

Furthermore, He warns them not to covet or try to fight for the lands of the Moabites and the Ammonites, the descendants of Lot. As He points out, they will surely pass through the territories of these people too on their way to taking their own land and may be tempted to want to go for their good lands. But if they should do so, what they will meet with is utter failure. And the very one that will be behind this failure is God Himself, who loves them and cares for them. (Cf. Deut 2:9-12&16-19)

Now what is the point of all this? It is that it is not every good thing, place or position that we see or come across in life that is for us. Yes, we may feel that we possess the ability, resources or wisdom to possess something good that we see. But if it is not what God has chosen for us but for someone else, we can only pray or labour in futility to have it. And even if we manipulate or force our way to have it, it won’t be without grievous consequences.

Remember what happened to David and his household when he took another man’s wife and killed the man. Remember also what happened to Ahab when he took another man’s vineyard and killed the owner. God did not act unconcerned in any of these cases. Instead, He moved in justice and dealt with those involved. (Cf. 2Sam 11-12; 1Kings 21)

In like manner, if we manipulate or force our way to possess something or someone God has not given to us but to someone else, we can be sure to have Him as our enemy. And remember that it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of God (Heb 10:31). So, we will do well to regularly pray that God will fill our hearts always with the perfect and exact knowledge of His choice for us in all things and that He will also make us content with whatever He has chosen for us. This is so that we will not destroy ourselves or lose what He has chosen for us, which is always the best for us, in our quest to have what He has not chosen for us.

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)

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Fire in my Bones

He is bound to lose it | Pst. J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: October 13, 2021
Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 4, No. 22

“Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.” (Prov 26:8NIV)

Those are the words of Solomon the wise. And what do they mean? Well, they mean that just as a sling is bound to lose any stone tied in it, a fool is also bound to lose whatever honour, wealth or position given to him. It is only a matter of time.

For example, when this wise man, Solomon, died, his son, Rehoboam, succeeded him as king over the nation of Israel. So, naturally, he inherited the kingdom, honour, wealth, influence and greatness of his father. But was he able to retain these things? No! Why? It was because he was a foolish man. And how did he show himself to be foolish? He showed himself to be foolish by not taking heed to the wise counsel of the wise elders, who had directly served with his father, on how to relate to his subjects. (Cf. 1Kings 12:1-24)

Therefore, anyone who does not know how to seek wise counsel, recognise it and act on it is a fool. And it does not matter what degree of honour you confer on that person or how much resources you entrust to them, they are bound to lose everything. That being the case, regardless of our position in life or what measure of wealth or honour we have bestowed on us, we must learn to seek, recognise and act on wise counsel on how to use it. Otherwise, we are bound to lose it.

In like manner, if we want to honour people or entrust them with some position, resources or people, we must be certain that they are individuals who know how to seek and handle wise counsel, especially as it relates to what we are entrusting to them. Otherwise, we may end up wasting everything on them. And who are going to blame afterwards? Ourselves!

Now, of course, being foolish in life goes beyond not knowing how to seek and handle wise counsel. There are other manifestations of foolishness. For example, being wasteful is also a manifestation of foolishness. We see this illustrated in the bible story of the prodigal son. That young man squandered the wealth he got from his father in reckless living and so ended up in poverty. He left his father’s house full but came back empty. What a foolish young man! (Cf. Luke 15)

In any case, if we too are wasteful in the way we use our resources or those entrusted to us by others, we are bound to lose them and whatever measure of comfort, honour or position we have received because of them. And if we entrust our wealth or possessions to a wasteful, slothful, careless or reckless person, it won’t be long before we lose everything because of them. So, in entrusting things to people, be sure you know their attitude towards the management of resources. Otherwise, you will eventually have only yourself to blame, when they have lost everything of value you commit to them.

Then what about pride, whether towards God or men? It is also a manifestation of foolishness. And anyone who has it is bound to lose whatever degree of honour, wealth or position they are given in life. In fact, they may even lose their life in the process. (Cf. Prov 16:18; Isaiah 2:11&17; Dan 4&5; Acts 12:19-23)

So, if we are concerned about not losing God’s blessings of honour, wealth, position or influence in our lives, we must allow Him to rid our lives of every form of foolishness through His word. Then we must also watch out for manifestation of foolishness in the lives of those we relate to, so that they don’t bring us to ruin through their foolishness. And may your heart continually overflow with God’s wisdom, so that you do not lose any of the things given to you by Him for your enjoyment, elevation and usefulness in life, 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)

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Fire in my Bones

Don’t ensnare yourself | Pst. J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: October 06, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 21

“Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.” (Judg 8:27NIV)

Once, while teaching His disciples, our Lord Jesus said to them, “…Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves…” (Luke 17:1-3NIV) He said these things to warn us all to watch the thing we do and say, so that we do not become responsible, whether consciously or unconsciously, for anybody’s fall into sin. Otherwise, it would be much worse for us than the one we have led astray, when God begins to judge.

But then, it is not only others that the things we do or say can ensnare and lead into trouble. They can ensnare us as well and become an occasion for us to stumble, fall or get destroyed. For example, as we see in our opening bible text, Gideon had made an Ephod of gold from the jewelleries he received as gifts from the Israelites after a battle. What was an Ephod? From what we see in Scriptures, it was originally one of the accessories of the High Priest’s garment, according to the instructions God gave Moses. But later on, in the history of the Israelites, we see that it also began to represent an object through which some of the people learnt the will of God. (Cf. Ex 28:6-8; 1Sam 23:9-12&30:7-8)

In any case, from the recorded encounter of Gideon that we have in the bible, we can tell that he originally made that Ephod so that he could have a means of personally enquiring from God. Whether it, then, served his purpose or not is something that is hard to tell. But as we are further shown in our opening text, it ended up becoming a trap that led the nation of Israel back into idolatry. The people began to worship it. And they were not the only ones that were ensnared by that Ephod; Gideon and his family were equally ensnared by it. In other words, it became a trap for them too, a trap that led their family, which was the first to turn away from idolatry at that time, back into idol worship. (Cf. Judges 6)

But do you know that all that could have been avoided, if Gideon had not made that Ephod? Yes, he originally meant well – he simply wanted a means through which he could consult God. But he was not a priest of God. There were priests in those days that were authorised by God to wear Ephods and that he could meet any time, should he need to learn the will of God about any matter that was not clearly defined in the book of law. What I am saying is that the book of God’s law to them was always available for any of them to consult in order to learn the mind of God about any matter. It is only when what is said about a matter in the book was not clear to the people or when nothing is directly or indirectly said about a matter in the book that they were expected to go to a priest or a known prophet of God for clarifications. Anything different from this, then, would be of the devil and result in nothing but idolatry, which would be followed by God’s judgment, as was the case with Gideon.

Now what is the point of all this? It is that we are to watch the things and people we bring into our lives or get ourselves involved with. Otherwise, we may unconsciously or unknowingly set traps of destruction or failure for ourselves. What I am saying is that there are people and things that we have no business associating with. There are individuals we do not need as friends or companions. There are items and facilities we don’t need to acquire, videos we don’t need to see or keep, songs we don’t need to hear or keep and even phone apps we don’t need to download. Why? We will be ensnaring ourselves through them.

Perhaps you have ensnared yourself in this manner before. You brought certain ungodly or carnal people or things into your life for some reasons, which may even appear legitimate, only for them to become the reason you found yourself in sexual immorality, theft, robbery, drug trafficking or use, bribery or some other destructive thing. Who do you now blame for this? Or who do you think is to blame? Yourself! And unless you separate yourself from such people or things, even if you have to be ruthless about it, you may never be free.

Well, all I am saying is that in all your dealings with men and the things of this world, be careful not to ensnare yourself. And you will be able to do that, if you will keep this admonition of the Lord to the nation of Israel in your heart: “Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you.” (Ex 34:12NIV) Did you see that? If you unduly associate or unite yourself with any ungodly person or thing, you will ultimately ensnare yourself. And you may not get a chance to free yourself before you are destroyed. So, be very careful.

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)

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Fire in my Bones

Imitate the God of order | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: September 29, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 20

“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” (1Cor 14:33NIV)

The bible tells us that we should imitate God because we are His beloved children (Eph 5:1). And one of the things we are to imitate from Him is order. God, as we are told in our opening bible text, is a God of peace and order and not of disorder or confusion. So, if we observe any form of disorder or confusion in our lives or affairs, we should know that God is not behind it. That means He is not the one responsible for the chaos and confusion that we see everywhere in the world today. We and the devil are the ones responsible for these things.

From what we see in the bible, God’s intention is that this world we live in will be one of order. So, even though He made the earth for us to live in, He did not make us before making the earth habitable and ready for us. He did not make us first before thinking of what we would eat and where we would stay. Instead, He made sure the food we would eat and all the other resources we would need for shelter and to make the earth most interesting for us to live in were already available. So, there is nothing we are using or discovering here on earth now that God had not made available before we were brought forth. In fact, we were the last of all His creations to be brought forth. Therefore, we were brought forth into the fullness of His provisions. That is what we call order. (Cf. Gen 1:26-31)

Also, from the creation story that we have in the bible, we see that the world of plants was not made until God had provided light and water for it and also put in the soil all the nutrients that it would need to make the world beautiful and habitable for man and all the other living things with him. Then the birds and animals were not made until God had prepared the world of plants and every other thing they would need to enjoy their stay here on earth. That, again, is what we call order. (Cf. Gen 1:1-23)

Furthermore, when we consider the way the universe works, the consistency of the Sun, the moon and the stars in blessing us with their lights and energies and in marking off for us our days, nights, months, years and seasons, it is clear that God, who created all these things and set them in their proper places, is a God of order and not of confusion. And as His children, He expects us to replicate the same consciousness and pattern of order in our lives and affairs. He does not want us to be disorderly in our lives or to do things without taking into consideration their results or aftermaths.

Yes, order, sometimes, can be very costly. But we won’t regret it, if we will pay for it. What I am saying is that there are times that in order to have order in your life or affairs you may need to expend more resources, energy or time than you will naturally want to use. But ultimately, it will pay off, for it will make life easier and better for you and others with you or others that may come after you.

So, if, for example, you intend to be educated along certain field of life, God expects you to have a plan of what you will do with that education before you even begin to receive it. That is order. Otherwise, you may never be fruitful with that education you want to receive when you are done receiving it. And there many all around the world whose lives clearly illustrate this.

Or if you intend to get married and have children, God expects you to have a plan for the proper care of your spouse and children. He does not expect you to just go ahead and marry like every other person without any knowledge or plan of how your home will be run peacefully, happily and responsibly. Otherwise, that home may never be a blessing to the society but a curse. And there are many homes that are readily testifying to this fact.

At any rate, the point I am making is that God wants our lives to be orderly and free of any form of confusion. So, we must stop making excuses for whatever degree or measure of disorderliness that is in our lives. Instead, we need to deal with it. And how do we do this? First, we need to agree that disorderliness or confusion is not the will of God for us. So we must not embrace it. Second, we must learn to always commit our lives and affairs to God, so that He may cleanse them of confusion and guide us into what is best for us. Third, we must refuse to be lazy or impatient in taking advantage of God’s provisions to organise our lives for excellence. And as we devote ourselves to doing these things, it does not matter how disorderly things may be for us now, it won’t be long before our lives take the shape God wants them to take and begin to show forth His excellency.

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)

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Fire in my Bones

Wisdom to handle happiness | By J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: September 22, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 19

“…Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” (James 5:13NIV)

There is a Yoruba adage which, when translated, says, “Poverty does not kill; it is unrestrained merriment that kills.” This, of course, does not mean that people don’t die or can’t die as a result of poverty, for many all around the world die everyday as a result of poverty. Rather, it means that much more people die as a result of unrestrained merriment than as a result of poverty. And this, sadly, is the bitter truth.

So, it is not only our moments of trials that we must learn to handle; we must also learn to handle our moments of happiness. That is because moments of happiness can also be moments of vulnerability. They can be moments in which we let down our guards to rejoice or celebrate. And if we are not careful, those moments could end in pains, terrible losses, regrets or destruction for us.

For example, as bible accounts show us, on a particular birthday of the Herod ruling in Galilee during the time of our Lord Jesus, he became so happy with the dance presentation of Herodias’ daughter that he did not know when he swore an oath to give the girl anything she wanted, up to half of his kingdom. What was he thinking? Why would he make that kind of reckless promise? Let us even suppose that the girl did ask for half of his kingdom, would she be able to manage it? Did she have the wisdom, understanding and character that would be needed to handle such a great responsibility? I doubt it. (Cf. Mark 6:16-23)

Nevertheless, because this Herod was unusually excited, he made a reckless oath that eventually led him to killing a man of God. And that was because Herodias’ daughter did not ask for gold, silver, mansions, lands or cities. Instead, following her mother’s counsel, she asked for the head of John the Baptist, a man that Jesus referred to as one that is more than a prophet. And because of his oaths and his dinner guests, this king had to consent, even though he was greatly distressed about the matter. (Cf. Mark 6:24-28)

Now only God could tell the number of those who ended up killing or hurting themselves or others in some big ways because they failed to wisely handle their happiness or excitement. Only He also could tell the number of those that fell into the traps of their enemies because they were not wise or cautious enough in handling their moments of happiness or celebration. Perhaps you too have at some point in life gotten into trouble because you did not manage certain moments of happiness or celebration of yours wisely. And if you still would not learn wisdom from God, there is no guarantee that similar things would not happen in the future.

What, then, is God’s wisdom saying? First, as we see in our opening bible text, it says, “Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” Did you see that? The wisdom of God says if anyone is happy, let him praise God. Notice that it does not say let him get drunk with his friends or let him get inside his car and drive crazily around town or let him go and waste himself on some call girls. Rather, it says let him praise God.

Why is he to praise God? It is because God is the source of all through forms of happiness (Ecc 2:24-25). And if anyone would acknowledge this and praise Him on its basis, He will surely keep him from doing anything or taking any step that would turn his joy into mourning or open the door for the devil to use his moments of happiness against him. So, next time God brings about circumstances that make you happy, remember to praise Him for your happiness. That way, you are opening the door for Him to perfect your happiness and keep it from being polluted by the devil.

Second, the wisdom of God is saying do not make life complicated for yourself, just because you want to express your happiness. Solomon says this to us: “This is all that I have learned: God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.” (Eccl 7:29GNT) Did you see that? It is not God that is making life hard for us; rather, we are the ones that often do things that Satan uses to make life hard for us. As I pointed out before, you can endanger others’ lives, get into debt, hurt or kill yourself, or expose yourself to the attacks of your enemies while expressing your happiness. And what good will that do you? None!

So, don’t create problems for yourself all in the name of expressing your happiness. Yes, praise God for your happiness and also rejoice with those who love you and care about you. But don’t do anything that will give the enemy an opportunity to strike you and turn your joy into sorrow. And may God fill your heart with His wisdom to always remember to act according to these words when you need to, 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)

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Fire in my Bones

The Master is watching you | Pst. J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: September 15, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 18

“And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.” (Eph 6:9NIV)

One of the major issues we are confronted with in our country today is a high rate of unemployment. And it is so bad that many of our school graduates have no way of putting to use the education they have acquired. So, they often have to diversify into businesses or fields of work in which they may never be able to apply the education or training they spent several years and a lot of resources to obtain.

Unfortunately, most employers of labor are now taking advantage of this ugly situation to impoverish and cheat their workers. I mean that they use the situation of things in the country as their excuse for paying their workers less than they deserve or for not paying them when due or for threatening them as though they had nowhere else to go if they should be out of their employment. And it is sad to know that there are even people of God, who should know better, among those who act like this.

But what is the mind of God on how to treat our workers or anyone who does any kind of work for us? It is what we have in our opening bible text. There Paul speaks by the Spirit of God to employers of labor, who, at the time he wrote the letter, were masters of slaves, on how they are to treat their workers. And how are they to treat them? First, he says they are to treat them in the same way they expect their workers to treat them and their work.

Now how are their workers to treat them and their work? Paul says, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” (Eph 6:5-8NIV) Can you see that? Workers are to relate to their employers in obedience and with respect, fear, and sincerity of heart, just the way they would relate to the Lord Jesus.

In other words, the will of God is that all employees are to serve their employers wholeheartedly, whether they are watching them or not as if they were serving the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. In fact, in another letter, Paul says they are to keep in mind that it is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself they are serving (Col 3:23-24). This being the case, the Lord Himself will also personally reward them for the way they handle their work, that is, beyond whatever their employers give them. And this, I believe, should be an incentive for every child of God to take their work seriously. That is because it is not only your boss or employer or client that will appraise and reward you. The Lord Jesus Himself also will appraise you and reward you accordingly.

In like manner, as Paul tells us, employers also need to keep in mind that they also have a master over their heads. That is the Lord Jesus Christ, who He is currently watching and appraising them on how they treat their workers and will reward them accordingly. And since He does not play favorites, they can expect Him to deal with them justly. This is why they must treat their workers with respect and fairness in all things instead of cheating them or threatening them. Otherwise, they will simply be bringing themselves under God’s judgment, as James tells us in his own epistle (James 5:1-6).

So, if you have anyone working with you or for you, you must make up your mind to fulfill all your duties to them and not to cheat them, injure them, threaten them or make life hard for them. Remember that the Lord Jesus, our Master, is watching you and will reward you with justice, not just when you stand before His throne on the Day of Judgment but also right here in the world. Will you, then, want Him to treat you the way you have been treating your employees or laborers? I am sure you know the answer.

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)

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Fire in my Bones

Separate yourself from it | Pastor J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: September 08, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 17

“When Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem, Jehu the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you.”” (2Chron 19:1-3NIV)

Why was the wrath of the Lord upon king Jehoshaphat? It was because he joined a wicked man in acting against the will of God. As the story goes, Jehoshaphat once visited the king of Israel, Ahab, because the latter was his in-law. But Ahab, as the bible tells us, was a very wicked man. In fact, he was so wicked that the bible says of him, “There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel.” (1Kings 21:25-26NIV)

So, Ahab was not just a wicked man but also an idolater. This being the case, Jehoshaphat, being a true lover and worshipper of God, should not have allied himself to this man by marriage or in any other way at all. That is because there is no way you will be in alliance with a wicked person and not be unduly exposed to situations that will want to make you sin against God (Deut 7:3-4). But you know, most times, in politics, people care more about perceptions than realities. They care more about favouring public sentiments than doing what is right. And this, perhaps, was the reason Jehoshaphat ended up having Ahab as his in-law.

Therefore, on this occasion that he visited him, the man requested that he join him in going to battle against the people of Ramoth Gilead. And since there was an alliance between them, he accepted to go with him. But he also requested that they should consult God first to know whether they should go to that battle or not. And when they did, the man of God, Macaiah, made it clear to them that disaster was what they would meet, if they should go to that battle. But instead for them to listen to his voice, Ahab would not let them. So, they went against the will of God and Ahab met his death in the battle, just as the man of God had said. (Cf. 2Chro 18)

Now Jehoshaphat himself would have been killed in that battle, if God had not been merciful to him (2Chro 18:30-32). But what was he doing on that battle ground in the first place? Why would he go against what he knew to be the will of God in order to please people? He could have told Ahab that he would not go with him since God had shown them that disaster was looming. That, of course, may have affected their alliance. But he would not have been exposed to destruction, as he was, or come under the wrath of God.

What is the point of all this? It is that you should watch the kind of association you keep. Paul says, “Don’t be deceived. Bad company corrupts good character.” (Cf. 1Cor 15:33) That is to say that there is no way you will maintain friendship with an evil or wicked person and not be corrupted at some point and to some extent, regardless how much you love God. So, don’t get involved in any kind of association or friendship that has a potential to put pressure on you or entice you or manipulate or seduce you to do evil or act against the will of God. Otherwise, you will have fallen into some trap of death, immorality, idolatry or greed before you know what is happening to you. And if God’s mercy is not extended to you, that may just be what will destroy your life or faith permanently.

Then, if you are already in a friendship or association that is constantly making you go against what you know to be the will of God, you need to separate yourself from it while you still can. I am saying this because I want you to know that the reason you have not yet been destroyed or gotten into some big trouble because of this relationship is that God is being patient with you and merciful to you.

But as we know through Scriptures, His patience with sinners is not forever. At some point, if they will not repent, He will have to do the needful and judge them (Rev 2:20-23). And if you do not want to come under such judgment, you had better separate yourself right away from that wrong relationship or friendship. My prayer is that you will be filled with the wisdom, boldness and strength of mind you need to do so, 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)

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Fire in my Bones

End the culture of unfaithfulness | Pst J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: September 01, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 16

“Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’”” (Luke 16:1-2NIV)
Why do we have such a high rate of unemployment in our country today? Is it basically because the successive governments we have had have been irresponsible for many years? Not exactly! Truly, our governments have failed mostly in providing the basic infrastructures that could aid the birth and growth of many businesses and organisations and, as such, reduce the rate of unemployment in the land. But these governments are not to blame for everything. Our own culture of unfaithfulness also has a lot to contribute to what we are now experiencing.

What is my point? It is that many of us cannot be trusted with anything that does not belong to us. We just do not have in us a heart that wants to faithfully handle whatever is entrusted to us. So, we are not fit for any kind of employment in which there is no well-established system to monitor us and also punish us accordingly for any kind of unfaithfulness. Otherwise, we are going to ruin any business or organisation we are employed to work in.

Just think of the number of businesses, organisations, companies, government institutions and so forth that used to be great in the country but that were wrecked through the unfaithfulness of their managers and employees. So, many who would have invested in our economy by building businesses or organisations that would employ many are afraid of doing so. Even government leaders are afraid of embarking on certain projects that would benefit the people. Why? It is because it is hard to find people who will faithfully manage or work in another person’s business and not ultimately ruin it.

So, today, if you want to start any business, people will tell you that if you are not going to be readily available to manage and nurture it yourself, you had better not start it. Otherwise, you will regret it. And this true to a very great degree. Even if it a house you want to build, and you do not plan to be there, those close to you will advise you not to try it. Why? It is because you will not likely find any contractor, even if the person is your own blood, that will manage the building faithfully and see to it that the correct items are used and that the correct thing is done.

You can now see why the rate of employment in our land is high. People who have money to invest in businesses or organisations or systems that will solve unemployment problems in many ways don’t want to do so. That is because they don’t want to lose their investment to the unfaithfulness of their would-be workers or employees. And unless we renew our minds along this line and begin to treat other people’s things faithfully, just as we would expect them to treat our things, many of us will never in this life find any real job that will make enough resources available to us.

Then, even if we find a good job for ourselves, as long as we are unfaithful in handling our duties in it, we are bound to lose it at some point. It is either we are sacked by our employers or sacked by the business or organisation itself after we have ruined it. As we see in our opening bible text, the only reason that rich man the Lord speaks about was going to sack his manager was his unfaithfulness in managing his business. And even he went on to act more unfaithfully in managing the business after he learnt that he would be sacked. So, he never had the good of his master’s business at heart; all he was concerned about was himself and his welfare. (Cf. Luke 16:3-8)

Now, of course, this man’s master commended him for being a smart person, one that knows how to get himself out of trouble. However, that did not change the fact that he was an unfaithful person that was not fit for any form of job or favour. And if we are like him, we too, as I pointed out before, are not fit for any kind of real employment. We are not even fit for any kind of financial favour to run our own business or organisation.

Why? It is because, as our Lord Jesus shows us, if we have not learnt to handle what is small in a faithful way, we cannot handle what is big in a faithful way. Also, if we have not shown ourselves as being able to handle what belongs to someone else faithfully and responsibly, only a foolish or reckless person will invest us. (Cf. Luke 16:10-12). Therefore, as I mentioned earlier, if we want to greatly reduce the rate of unemployment in our land, we all must begin to develop a culture of faithfulness. And we can start by handling whatever job or business we are doing for others or ourselves at the moment faithfully and diligently. Then God, who is the true rewarder of all faithfulness, will see to it that our faithfulness does not go unrewarded by opening doors of greater opportunities, resources and positions for us.

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)

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Fire in my Bones

Learn to get adequate good counsel | Pst. J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: August 25, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 15

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Prov 15:22NIV)

Why was Solomon a great and mighty king? Was it because he was all-wise and all-knowing? No! Indeed, God, as we are told in the bible, blessed this man with wisdom, insight and a breadth of understanding that was as measureless as the sand on the seashore (1Kings 4:29). But that is not to say that he knew everything and needed nobody’s counsel or advice to succeed in life or as king. Only God knows everything and needs nobody’s counsel or advice to do anything (Isaiah 40:13-14).

But man is not God. Man is man, however wise or knowledgeable he may be. So, he is limited in many ways and will, from time to time, need the counsel and support of others to thrive in life or to escape from trouble. And one of the things that will show that he is wise and understanding is his recognition of the fact that he does not know or understand it all – he needs the wisdom, knowledge and understanding of others too to perfect his own. Otherwise, he is a fool, even if he or some other people think of him as wise.

So, Solomon, in his wisdom, says to us in our opening bible text, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Have you ever failed at anything you were so sure you would succeed at? If you have, do you know why you failed? Well, even if you do not know why yet, Solomon is telling us here that one major reason people’s good plans or projects fail or fall apart is that they do not get adequate counsel or get counsel at all.

See, when we allow others to counsel us about what we want to do or about a problem we want to solve, whether through their direct words of mouth, books or audio or video recordings, we are able to see the loopholes, errors, impossibilities, possibilities or opportunities we are perhaps overlooking. And this enables us to make better informed decisions. But when we act like we know it all and do our thing, then, the surprises we get may end up being what will drive us to seek the counsel we ought to have sought before.

Therefore, before you make any major decision in your life, get counsel, adequate counsel. Meet or listen to as many people that are informed or highly experienced about the matter that you can listen to. But then, you must also understand that it is not every counsel that is good for you. Some counsel is bad and dangerous enough to destroy you. So, you need to be able to distinguish a wise and good counsel from a bad and destructive one.

Some people have all kinds of counsellors around them and that are ever ready to give them free counsel. But because they lack the wisdom of the Spirit to recognise what counsel will do them good and what counsel will destroy them, they are often embracing the wrong counsel and making life harder for themselves. And when they are done failing at something, they would say, “But I sought people’s counsel on this before I did it.”

Now what such people do not know is that success or salvation does not come just by taking counsel from people but also by taking the right counsel in its right amount from them. What was the difference between Solomon and his son, Rehoboam? It was the ability to distinguish a right counsel from a wrong and destructive one (1Kings 12). And if you want to possess and increase in this ability, give yourself to the word of God. That is because it can be trusted to make even a simple and naïve heart wise enough to distinguish what is good and profitable from what is bad and destructive (Ps 19:7).

At any rate, learn to seek and to take the right measure of counsel for every major step you are taking in life. That may just be the difference between success and failure for you or between salvation and destruction.

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)

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Fire in my Bones

Beware of covetousness | Pst J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: August 18, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 14

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”” (Heb 13:5-6NKJV)

All through the Scriptures, we are warned not to allow covetousness in our lives. Why? First, it is because God has promised to never leave nor forsake us, regardless of the circumstances of our lives. And that being the case, there is nothing we need immediately or later that He will not make sure we have. So, there is no reason for us to be covetous. No, there is no reason for us to want to take for ourselves what belongs to others or to want to take for ourselves what we don’t need or to want to have anything for ourselves at any cost, even at the cost of our souls. God is enough for us and is always with us. And as long as we continue to trust in Him, we will never be put to shame.

The second reason we are warned not to be covetous is that covetousness, which is also the love of money or earthly riches, is a root of all kinds of evil (1Tim 6:10). In other words, once we are covetous, there is no telling how far we may be willing to go to have what we want.

For example, even though David was a man after God’s own heart, the moment he coveted Batsheba, Uriah’s wife, he opened the door of his life for all kinds of evil to come in. First, it was adultery that came in. Later, manipulation and deceit came in – he wanted to trick Uriah into accepting a pregnancy that was not his. Finally, murder crept in. David killed this good and honourable man to cover up his sins and to also take for himself a woman that was never meant to be his. And by so doing, he opened the door of his household for satanic afflictions. (Cf. 2Sam 11-20)

What about King Ahab? Why did God make a pronouncement of disaster on him and his entire household? Was it not because of the sin of covetousness? He coveted the inheritance of another man, Naboth. He coveted something that was never meant to be his. Yes, he had a logical reason for wanting it and was even willing to pay the man any amount his inheritance was worth or give him something better. But the man was not going to give away his inheritance for anything, for it was meant to be passed on to generations of his children after him.

Now, instead for Ahab to let the matter go, he gave in to depression, which his wife used as an excuse to orchestrate the murder of Naboth and the taking over of his inheritance. And did God sit still and allow the matter to die like that? No! He did not. On the contrary, He stepped in and sent His prophet, Elijah, to judge the wickedness of this evil king and his wife. (Cf. 1Kings 21)

In like manner, He will not sit still and allow us to continue to harass, cheat, molest or destroy others through our greed or covetousness. At some point, He will step in and judge our love of money, position, fame or any of these earthly things that is driving us crazy and making us to do all kinds of evil things. So, watch your life and make sure it is free of covetousness.

And maybe you are asking, “But how do I know if I am being covetous?” Well, you will know once you see that you are willing to do just about anything to have something, even if it is something legitimate. In other words, if you are willing to make your hands dirty just to have anything in this life, even if that thing is your right, you are covetous. And you should humble yourself before God right away and allow Him to cleanse you of this evil. Otherwise, it won’t be long before it destroys you and perhaps other good people and things in your life as well.

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)