Category: Fire in my Bones

Title: Walk with the wise

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date March 25, 2026
No Comments on Title: Walk with the wise

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 45

“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” (Proverbs 13:20NIV) Who is talking to us in our opening bible text? It is Solomon. And what is his instruction to us? it is that we should walk with the wise. In other words, we are to make wise people our companions.Now why do we need to do that? Why do we need to make wise people our companions?

According to Solomon, it is one of the ways to become wise. And as he further points out, if we ignore this instruction and decide to choose fools as our companions, we are bound to suffer one form of harm or the other. It is only a matter of time.But then, we must also understand that walking with wise people will not necessarily make us wise. It is our purpose of walking with them and our attitude towards learning from them that will determine whether our walk with them will result in our becoming wise or not.

What I am saying is that we have to be intentional in choosing to walk with wise people. That means we must intentionally look out for people that are truly wise around us that we can walk or fellowship with. Doing that in itself will be wisdom on our part. But it has to be done because there is no guarantee that wise people will freely flow into our lives. And where wise people are not readily around us to walk with, we had better begin to look elsewhere for companionship.Also, apart from being purposeful about choosing wise people as our companions, we also need to be purposeful about learning from them ways of wisdom. Otherwise, though we walk with them for decades, we will still not be wise.

Rehoboam, for instance, lived with his father Solomon for a number of years before he became king in his place. Yet he did not demonstrate wisdom at all but foolishness at the beginning of his reign. Why? His focus was most likely not on learning ways of wisdom from his father but on some other things. What other things? We are not told what they might be in the account. Perhaps his focus was just on becoming the next king after his father or on pleasure or on his father’s wealth.At any rate, though Rehoboam had a very rare privilege of being the son of Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived on earth before Jesus came, and also of living with him, he did not learn much wisdom from him. That was because he was not intentional about learning wisdom from him. So, he ended up having fools as his companions and suffering terribly for it. (Cf. 1Kings 12; 2Chro 10)

Now we too can expect to suffer terribly in life, if our companions are fools. And if we don’t want that, we had better begin to intentionally look out for the wise people among all the people in our lives that we will choose as our companions or counsellors. And once we recognise them, we should begin to take every righteous step that will make it possible for us to walk with them and also learn from them. Then perhaps we already have some of such people as our companions, we should not make the mistake of wasting the opportunity we have to learn from them by focussing our attention on less important things like pleasure, riches or positions in our relationships with them. Otherwise, even if we gain these things through our relationships with them, we, like Rehoboam, will still lose them at some point for our lack of wisdom. So, let us mind ourselves.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Even if you deserve it

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date March 18, 2026

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 44

“Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.” (1Sam 16:19-20NIV)

Why did Jesse send gifts to King Saul, as we see in our opening text? It was to appreciate him for choosing his son to be his personal musician in the palace. So, the gifts were not sent to bribe him to take David in as his musician but to appreciate him for already doing so.But why did he have to appreciate Saul in that manner? At least, David was chosen to serve him because he was highly skilful in playing the harp. He must actually have been the best in doing so in the country at the time.

Nevertheless, if the king, for any reason, had refused to have him, what would he have done? Nothing! Or if some of the officials of the king had decided to mess the selection process up and chosen someone less worthy of the service, what would David and his father have done? Nothing!So, even though David was chosen on merit, his father was still wise enough to know that he was supposed to appreciate the king for choosing him. And while we are not told in clear terms how King Saul responded to that show of appreciation, we are told from the account that he actually went on to like David very much. He, in fact, so liked him that he sent word to his father to allow him to remain permanently in his service. (Cf. 1Sam 16:21-22)

What, then, is this teaching us? It is that we must learn to recognise where appreciation is needed and give it. For many of us, it is only when people have given us or done for us something we don’t deserve that we think of the need to appreciate them. Therefore, we may not see the need to show appreciation where we think we deserve or are entitled to have what is coming to us. This is why we usually don’t show enough appreciation to our parents, husbands, wives, children, brethren or leaders in the church and other people that are close to us. We think we deserve or are entitled to whatever they are doing to us or for us.

But even if you deserve or are qualified or entitled to have something, it may still not come to you. You may be denied it, robbed of it or cheated of it for various reasons. If you, then, have not been denied what you are qualified or entitled to have, you should first be thankful to God for delivering it to you. Also, you should do whatever you can to appreciate anyone that He may have used in making that thing yours. That is because you may not be able to say what other doors of goodness doing so may open for you.

Finally, if someone that has gotten something on merit has enough sense to appreciate those used by God to secure that thing for him, you who are receiving whatever you are not qualified or entitled to have should know that you have no excuse for being lacking in appreciation.

So, learn to appreciate those God is using to lift you up or to open doors of prosperity to you, not just with words of mouth but also with meaningful gifts, however little those gifts may be. This is not bribery. This is appreciation. And if bribes can make people go out of their way to twist situations and systems, imagine what genuinely shown appreciation can do in setting things right.

Therefore, whether you deserve that good thing coming to you or not, recognise where to show appreciation for it and show it. May God continually fill you with the wisdom to do the right thing, as far as this matter is concerned. Amen.

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: First investigate it

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date March 12, 2026

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 43

“Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” (Luke 1:3-4NIV)

In our opening bible text, we find part of the introduction of Luke to his gospel concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. And what do we learn from what he says in this introduction? First, we learn that he originally wrote this gospel for the reading of a nobleman called Theophilus. The sort of position Theophilus was occupying at the time is something we cannot tell from the text. But by referring to him as ‘Most excellent Theophilus’, we can safely assume that the man must be occupying a very powerful and influential position wherever he was at the time.The second thing we learn from the text was that even though Luke was a believer in Christ Jesus at the time, he did not just believe everything he was told and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Instead, he first carried out a careful, thorough and extensive investigation about the things he was hearing and learning before embracing them as true. Why did he do that? Well, first, he did that because he did not want to be acting on lies or fabricated stories. Second, it was because he lived during the days of the early preachers of the gospel and so nothing stopped him from verifying the things that they were saying to see whether they were true or not.

Third, it was so that he would not be leading others too, including Theophilus, to believe a lie.Now we find something similar to this in the attitude of the Jews in Berea towards the preaching of Paul, when he came to them. Look at what the bible says about this:“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.” (Acts 17:11-12NIV)

Did you see that? These people did not just accept Paul’s sermons as true because he called himself an apostle of the Messiah that they had been waiting for. Instead, every day they took out time to investigate what he was teaching them in the Scriptures to see if it was true. And when they realised that it was true, many of them believed the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with joy.So, you can see that the apostles of old encouraged their audience to investigate the things they were teaching them. They did not just ask them to accept their messages as true because they were apostles. Otherwise, they would be preventing them from gaining the confidence they needed to defend their own faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

That being the case, learn to investigate whatever you are being taught in the church and in life by anybody. Investigate it using the Scriptures and other relevant resources that are at your disposal. Don’t just accept anything as true on the strength of anybody’s title, position, education, fame or experience. That is a cheap way to be misled into believing and acting on lies or errors. And where that is the case, you will have only yourself to blame for whatever you suffer for believing and acting on any lie or error. So, mind yourself.

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Take responsibility for it

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date March 4, 2026
1 Comment on Title: Take responsibility for it

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 42

“”Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”” (Jonah 1:12NIV

)A number of years ago, while I was working with a bank, an app was developed and deployed by the IT department of the bank to aid transferring of funds into multiple accounts at the same time. And was that not a good and progressive thing? It was.However, that app malfunctioned when one of my colleagues attempted to use it in transferring the salaries of some government workers into their accounts. Instead of crediting the designated bank accounts, it credited accounts of workers of another government agency in another state. And sadly, some of those whose accounts were wrongly credited in this manner were not gracious enough to report the error in time.

On the contrary, they went ahead and began to spend the money.Well, when it was eventually discovered that a big error had been committed, guess who was asked to take responsibility for it? My colleague that used the app! That, of course, got me so upset that I had to take up the matter with some of our bosses at the time. And in the heat of the dealing with it, I remember saying these words to one of them: “Any of us can make mistakes, for we are all humans. So, a system we create can also make mistakes. But if anyone created a system that failed, he should at least be gracious and honest enough to take responsibility for it, instead of seeking to make others pay for his mess.” What is my point? It is that mistakes and accidents happen in life for various reasons. Even the word of God confirms that (Deut 19:4-5).

But mistakes and accidents don’t happen by themselves. People make them happen. And where you are responsible for a mistake, an error or an accident that has occurred, you should not waste time to take responsibility for it. Otherwise, you may allow innocent people to suffer for you. How, then, will you face God in such a situation?As we see in our opening text, Jonah stepped up to take responsibility for the mishap that those he was travelling with at the time were experiencing on the sea. Why? It was because the reason trouble came upon them was that he was running away from doing the will of God. So, if their trouble would go away, he must be thrown into the sea, as he pointed out to them. And would that not mean death for him? It would. But unless that was done, the people with him would lose more than their cargo; they would lose their lives as well.

Now, as the account further shows us, those with him did not want to do what he told them at all. Why? They did not want to become murders while trying to save themselves. But soon enough, they realised that God was the one judging Jonah indeed. Therefore, unless they threw him overboard, they would all perish. So, they did the needful and saved their lives. And by doing the needful, they gave room for Jonah himself to repent and receive God’s mercy for salvation and restoration. (Cf. Jonah 1&2)

What is that showing us? It is that while it may be hard for us to take responsibility for our errors or mistakes, doing so, especially with a heart of humility, can open God’s door of mercy and favour to us. So, instead, of suffering for our errors, we can be shown mercy for forgiveness, salvation and restoration. But if, instead of taking responsibility for our blunders, we allow others to suffer for them, whether out of fear or sheer wickedness, God will not fail to judge us at the right time. And who knows how He will judge?

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Since he was living in Sodom

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date February 25, 2026
No Comments on Title: Since he was living in Sodom

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 40

“They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.” (Gen 14:12NIV)

Who was living in Sodom, as we see in our opening text? It was Lot, Abraham’s nephew. And who carried him and his possessions off? The kings that attacked Sodom! But why?Well, as the account goes, the king of Sodom and his ally kings had been subject to Kedorlaomer king of Elam for twelve years. But they rebelled in the thirteenth year. Why? Maybe they felt that they had become strong enough to gain their independence. We would not know for sure. (Cf. Gen 14:1-4)

However, we do know from the account that when Kedorlaomer and his allies attacked them, they fled before them into the hills. So, these kings went into their cities to carry off all their people, goods and food. And that was when Lot and his possessions were carried off, since he too was living in Sodom at the time.It follows, then, that if Lot had not been living in Sodom at the time, he and his possessions would not have been carried off in that manner. But since he was living there, he too suffered the fate of all the people living there.

Thankfully, somebody reported this matter in time to Abraham, Lot’s uncle. Then, out of his concern for the man and because of his faith in God, he gathered his men and attacked those powerful kings. And even though it looked like a suicide attempt, God gave him victory over them. So, he was able to rescue Lot and his possessions. (Cf. Gen 14:13-16)

But was Lot supposed to be in Sodom in the first place? No! As we see in the account of his journey with his uncle, Abraham, it was greed that led him to go and live in Sodom. Truly, at the time, it was no longer convenient for he and Abraham to be living together. That was because they both had great possessions and the land could no longer support them. (Cf. Gen 13:1-7)

Therefore, Abraham, his uncle, told him to choose what part of the land he would move into and occupy. And instead for him to show some respect and tell the man, who actually had been taking care of him since his own father died, to choose where to go and live for him, he saw the situation as an opportunity to outshine him. That was why he chose the part of the land that looked like the garden of the Lord for himself. (Cf. Gen 13:8-13)

But the choice he made that day put him right among the people of Sodom. And these people were sinning greatly against the Lord at the time. So, they were a people marked for destruction. That means destruction was bound to come upon them at some point. It was only a matter of time. And since Lot had chosen to stay with them, he too was bound to experience whatever form of judgment or destruction that came upon them. You can see why he and his possessions were first carried off by those kings that attacked Sodom and why he would also later lose everything he owned, including his wife, when God’s judgment finally came upon that land.

Now what is all this teaching us? It is that where we live, stay, work or school matters a lot. Certain places may look like places of opportunities or advantages to us. But being there may expose us to challenges of life that we have no answers for. And if we are not shown mercy by God while in such places, we may lose more than our lives and possessions there; we may lose our souls as well.

Therefore, don’t choose to be anywhere merely because of what you see, hear or feel about the place. Instead, always pray to God to fill your heart with divine revelations about where to be, from time to time. That way, you can trust Him to lead you all the time to be in the right place at the right time, away from unnecessary challenges and troubles of life.Cheers!

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Sharpen it

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 40

“If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success.” (Eccl 10:10NIV)

What Solomon says here in our opening text can be taken as self-explanatory. Nevertheless, it is important that we consider it carefully and not assume that we fully grasp it. Otherwise, we may not reap the full benefits of the wisdom he seeks to impart to us through it.What wisdom, then, does Solomon seek to impart through what he says here? It is mainly that we must learn to do whatever we need to do to make any ability, skill or education we have more effective, efficient and profitable in life. And he uses the axe to illustrate his point.Now, as we all know, the axe is a very useful too in dealing with trees and wood. It is also a very useful weapon for soldiers and warriors.

However, one thing that will make the use of an axe easy, fast and efficient is that it is sharp. If it is not sharp but dull, more energy and time will be required to do whatever needs to be done with it. Yes, a skilful person may be able to manage a dull axe to get some things done in time. But if he is wise and does not want to unduly squander his time, energy and resources on what needs to be done, he will know that the best thing for him to do is to sharpen that dull axe.

Well, the point of it all is that if we will be highly effective and efficient in using whatever ability, skill or education we have, we must learn to develop or cultivate it. See, the abilities God has given to us and the skills and education He has enabled us to acquire will not develop themselves. We are the ones that will develop them and must develop them. Otherwise, even though we are putting them to work, it will be hard for us to shine with them, however special they may be.

For example, even though God gave Solomon wisdom that was beyond measure, he had to train his mind to read, study, learn, explore, observe, investigate and experiment. Otherwise, the wisdom in him would simply remain dormant, dull, inactive and useless. Then nobody would have known him as a very wise and great king.But the man gave himself to doing those things that will sharpen the wisdom of God in his life, things that will make him shine with it. Look at what he says about himself:“I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men!” (Eccl 1:12-13NIV)

Did you see that? Solomon did not assume that the wisdom God gave him would automatically work and make him shine all by itself. Instead, he used his head and diligently applied his mind to study and learn everything that he considered relevant for him to study and learn in life. And as he did that, the wisdom in him was being sharpened day by day.

Then, at some point, he became so effective in using that wisdom that people came from all over the world to listen to him and learn from him.In the same vein, that ability, skill or education you have may never amount to anything or take you anywhere great in life, if you leave it dull, if you leave it to sharpen itself. That is because if you will not sharpen it, it will not sharpen itself. And if you continue to use it like that, dull, blunt or uncultivated, it will not be long before it frustrates you.

But if you will sharpen or cultivate it, you will someday be amazed at the kind of effective, efficient, useful and reliable person God will have made you through it. So, take stock of those abilities, skills and education you have that are in need of being cultivated or sharpened. Then begin to do the needful to them with diligence and consistency. And may God’s favour rest on you mightily to make you shine with every good gift He has blessed you with, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Is money the solution to every problem?

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date February 12, 2026

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 39

“A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.” (Eccl 10:19NIV)

Those are Solomon’s words to us. And through them, he seems to be telling us that money is the solution to every problem of life. But is that what he is really saying? Is Solomon really telling us that money is the solution to every problem of life? No!What, then, is he saying? Well, in the context of the verse, what Solomon is telling us is that when it comes to organising feasts, ceremonies and parties, money is the solution. If you don’t have money or have people to sponsor you, you can’t have a party. Otherwise, it is going to be a dry party.But if you have some money with you, then, you can throw a party anytime you wish.

In fact, the more money you have, the more your ability to throw big parties will increase. In like manner, there are certain good things of life that you cannot access unless you have money or you have someone sponsoring you. That is because those things don’t come cheap – they cost a lot. Getting quality education, for instance, is never cheap – it is always expensive. Yes, someone can make it available for you or for your child free of charge.

That, however, does not mean that person has not paid some money for it.So, there are actually things in this life that you cannot have access to without money. Your crying, weeping or excuses will not make those things available to you. That is because the solution to gaining access to them is money. But then, there are also many things in this life that money cannot handle.

For instance, there are human relationships that money cannot fix, if they are damaged. And if you try to use money to fix them, you will most likely make them worse. Also, money cannot heal anybody. Yes, with money you can make the best medical care and attention available to yourself. But unless God heals you, the best medical care and attention in this world is bound to fail you.In addition to that, money cannot give you the power of enjoyment of life. Yes, with money you can throw parties, make available for yourself all kinds of things to enjoy, get great education and befriend all kinds of people.

But unless God releases to you the power to enjoy your parties, your possessions, your education and your relationships, your life will still be dry and boring. All of this is why Solomon also tells us this: “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?” (Eccl 2:24NIV)

Did you see that? Enjoyment and satisfaction in life both come from God, not from money. This is why you must never put your trust in money but in God. No, never see money as the solution to any problem of your life or as your source of enjoyment. That is because even though money can solve many problems in life, it is only those problems that God Himself has solved that it will be able to solve for you. Moreover, though money can make all kinds of things and people available to you in life, unless God releases into your life the power to enjoy those things and people, you will never enjoy them.

On the contrary, they may even become a problem to you. So, always remember that money is not the solution to every problem of life. It is simply a tool that God may use or not use to solve certain problems of your life. That way, you will not unduly give yourself to running after money and destroy your life and the lives of others around you.Cheers!

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Be a good master

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date February 4, 2026

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 38

“Saul said to his servant, “If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?” The servant answered him again. “Look,” he said, “I have a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.”” (1Sam 9:7-8NIV)

What we have here in our opening bible text is part of the account of some of the things that happened before Saul became king over the nation of Israel. Somehow, the donkeys of his father got missing and he and his servants left their house to look for them. But even though they spent about three days looking for those donkeys, they could not find them. (Cf. 1Sam 9:1-6)

Therefore, Saul told his servant that it was time they went back home. Otherwise, his father would soon stop worrying about the missing donkeys and start worrying about them. And it was then that his servant suggested that they look for the man of God that was living in the place they had come to, so that he may tell them exactly what to do.But then, even though Saul had no trouble with the man’s suggestion, he could not see himself visiting a man of God empty-handed.

Why? The culture of the land at the time considered it insulting for someone to come seeking the counsel or prayer of a man of God without any gift in his hand. And while there is no command in the bible for us to make a culture of that today, it will be a good thing for us to emulate. What I am saying is that it is not only our problems we should be taking to our church leaders; we should also be taking gifts to them, as God blesses us. And God will surely honour us for doing so. (Cf. Gal 6:6)

In any case, when Saul made it clear to his servant that there was no way they could go to the man of God empty-handed, the man immediately told him that he had some money that he could give to the man of God as a gift.

That, of course, was how they both went to Samuel, who had been instructed by the Spirit of God to be expecting them, and God’s purpose was fulfilled in the life of Saul.But the question is, “Why was Saul’s servant quick to tell him that he had some personal money with him that they could take to the man of God as a gift on that occasion?” Remember that they had been wandering around in vain for three days, looking for those missing donkeys.

So, the man must of have been tired and desiring to return home to get some rest.In addition, he was just a servant and the missing donkeys were not his possessions. So, he really had nothing to lose, if they could not find them. But he did not show any form of tiredness or a desire to go back home without those missing donkeys. Instead, he was the one that suggested that they should look for a man of God to help them. Also, he was the one that offered to gift the man of God with some money, in appreciation of whatever help he might offer them.

Why did he act like that? The reason was that Saul must have been a good master to him. Sadly, this same Saul would go on to be a cruel master to David years later. But at that time, he must have been so good to his servant that the man was willing to serve him even with his own money. How inspiring!Unfortunately, many masters, teachers, bosses and leaders today cannot be said to be good to those under their care.

On the contrary, all that can be said about some of them is that they are harsh, cruel and unreliable. They will not show concern for the welfare of those under them. They will not pay them when due. They will not hesitate to take advantage of their ignorance or weakness to cheat them. And some will even borrow money from them and not return it until they fight to get it back.

So, unless God specially touches their hearts, they will never be moved to go the extra mile for such leaders, bosses or teachers or offer them any assistance, if they should be in need.Well, Saul was not like that to his servant that followed him that day. So, the man was willing to sacrifice his own time and money to help him. And that sacrifice led him to become the first king of Israel.

In like manner, the help or sacrifice of those under your care may go a long way in bringing about the fulfilment of God’s purpose for your life too. But will they be willing to make that sacrifice for you? The answer to that may be dependent on how good you are to them. So, be a good master to those under your care and stop making excuses for being cruel to them. That is because you may not know when it will be the difference between progress and stagnation for you.

Cheers!

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Guard your lips

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 37

“He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.” (Prov 13:3NIV)

Who is Solomon speaking to here? He is speaking to anyone who cares to listen. And what is he saying? He is saying that the one who guards his lips guards his life. In other words, one way to keep yourself safe in this world is to always watch what comes out of your mouth.

Sadly, many people don’t watch what comes out of their mouths. Instead, they say anything that enters their minds. Why? They are not functioning with the consciousness that anything that we say with our mouths has consequences. See, if you always consider what might be the consequences of what you are about to say, you will never be careless in saying anything. But if you will not consider the consequences of what you want to say, you will just speak on the basis of how you feel. And where that will take you may not be where you ever want to go in life.

For instance, we are told in the bible of a man called Gaal who came to live in Shechem during the short reign of Abimelech son of Gideon. The man was a very loud person, someone that only knew how to use his mouth but not his head. And when he came to Shechem, he began to boast of how powerful he was and how he could fix Abimelech for them. In fact, once, while he was having a feast with the people and they all were getting drunk, he told the people that he would tell Abimelech to call out his whole army and fight him. So, they all put their trust in him. (Cf. Judges 9:26-29)

But then, Gaal only spoke that day out of the abundance of the wine he had drunk. He actually did not expect anybody to take what he said very seriously, not even to talk of telling Abimelech. But somebody told Abimelech. So, he did show up with his army. Look at what is reported in the bible about the situation:“So Abimelech and all his troops set out by night and took up concealed positions near Shechem in four companies.

Now Gaal son of Ebed had gone out and was standing at the entrance to the city gate just as Abimelech and his soldiers came out from their hiding place. When Gaal saw them, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!” Zebul replied, “You mistake the shadows of the mountains for men.” But Gaal spoke up again: “Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and a company is coming from the direction of the soothsayers’ tree.” Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your big talk now, you who said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should be subject to him?’ Aren’t these the men you ridiculed? Go out and fight them!”” (Judg 9:34-38NIV)

Did you see that? That man used his mouth to invite trouble on himself and on the people of Shechem. Yet he had no power to deal with the problem he created. So, he brought death on many of the people of the land, as the account further shows us. In any case, the point of it all is that we must learn to guard our lips. Yes, we must learn to consider carefully anything we want to say before we say it. It may just be the difference between life and death or success and failure for us. And only God knows how many have ruined their lives, homes, communities and even countries through some careless and useless statements.

Mind you, this is not just about what we say to others or about others. It is also about what we say to ourselves and about ourselves and what we say to God and about God. If you are continually calling death and failure on your life, because of the way you feel or because of the things happening to you and around you, that is what you are going to get. But if you will learn to speak only life to yourself and about yourself, you will find that life, progress, joy and peace are always accompany you wherever you go.

Also, if you talk loosely to God or about Him, showing Him no respect or honour in what you say, you will someday have to pay for it. A man’s life was taken by God when he was supposed to be enjoying his prosperity, simply because he would not honour God with his prosperity. Also, Herod was struck dead by an angel of God because of a proud speech that he once gave. And who knows how many have lost their lives in the same manner because of the arrogant words they spoke before God? Only God Himself! (Cf. Luke 12:16-21; Acts 12:20-23)So, guard your lips always. That way, you will be guarding your life too.

Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Too soon

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date January 23, 2026

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 36

“An inheritance claimed too soon will not be blessed at the end.” (Proverbs 20:21NIV)

What Solomon tells us in our opening text immediately reminds one of the story of the prodigal son. The story, of course, was told by the Lord Jesus to show us that regardless of how messed up our lives are in sin, God will take us back, wash us and restore us. If we will return to Him in time, that is, when there is still breath in us. (Cf. Luke 15)

However, the story also teaches us of the danger of taking for our use or enjoyment things or positions that we do not yet have the ability to handle. Yes, it may be legitimate for us to have something or to occupy a position. But if we are not yet ready for it, then, we should not be in a hurry to occupy it. Otherwise, as Solomon tells in our opening text, what is meant to be a blessing to us may end up being a curse to our lives.That was the case with the prodigal son. The inheritance that he collected from his father was actually his to have. That was because he was a legitimate son of the man.

However, at the time that he demanded to have his own inheritance, he did not have the character, discipline and wisdom required to maintain it or to multiply it. All that he had enough sense to do was to consume whatever entered his hand.So, it was not long at all after he had taken his own inheritance from his father that he lost it all in riotous living. Then he began to really suffer in life. Thankfully, his father was still alive at the time and also wealthy. Not only that, his father was a compassionate one, one that was actually longing for him to come back home, in spite of the mess he had made with his life.

Otherwise, his return home would have been another tragedy for him.You can, then, see why some people will specify in their wills the ages that their children can begin to enjoy the inheritance or certain good things of life they have made available for them. They do that under the assumption that age will have matured those children and made them ready to obtain, use and enjoy what is legitimately theirs, without destroying themselves with it.But while age often produces physical maturity, it will not automatically produce mental or spiritual maturity. What people give themselves to learning and doing is what will determine how soon they will attain the level of mental or spiritual maturity that they need to be able to handle certain things that are meant for them in life without destroying themselves with these things.

So, instead of merely fixing your eyes on having those beautiful things of life that can be yours or that are meant for you, also fix your eyes on making yourself ready to be able to have, use and keep those things without destroying yourself with them. Otherwise, your possession of certain things that are legitimate and good for you to have may end up being a curse to you, instead of a blessing. So, don’t go for anything too soon, sooner than you are ready for it. Or else, you may harm yourself with it beyond recovery.