Category: Youth for Jesus

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: When they are overreaching| Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones
Date: November 15, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 26

“Two years later, when Absalom's sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king's sons to come there. Absalom went to the king and said, "Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his officials please join me?" "No, my son," the king replied. "All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you." Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go, but gave him his blessing.” (2Sam 13:23-25NIV)

It is a natural thing for those who love us or who hold us very highly in their hearts to always look for opportunities to do things that will make us happy. And it will only be proper for us at such times to cheerfully and willingly accept the tokens of their love for us, regardless of how little they may seem. That is because it will show that we accept them as they are and are not ashamed of associating with them, though they may not be as wealthy, educated, influential or spiritual as we are.

However, there are times that such people may actually be overreaching in their attempt to make us happy or satisfy us. And it will only be wise and kind of us to prevent them from making us an unnecessary burden to them. Otherwise, in trying to make us happy, they may end up putting themselves in some avoidable problems. Are we, then, going to be happy to learn that the reason someone who loves and adores us is in a big financial, marital or social mess is that he wanted to please us? We will not at all, if we have any iota of human feeling.

A friend of mine was once very angry with me because of something along this line. What happened? Well, there was this particular bible that she had told me that she would love to have. So, I wanted to surprise her with it on her birthday. But I didn’t have enough money at the time to do so because of some commitments I had. So, I talked to a friend of mine to lend me part of the money for like a week or so. Unfortunately, somehow, she overheard us. And it got her very upset. She was like, “I understand that you are trying to make me happy here. But you did not have to do that. You did not have to borrow to make me happy.” Now, of course, we later resolved the matter. 

But I learnt my lesson, which is that those who truly care about you will not want to receive things from you, just because doing so will make them happy; they will also be concerned about what making them happy will cost you. Will it cost you your happiness? Will it cost you your job? Will it cost you your marriage? Or is it your reputation or life savings that it will cost you? They will be concerned about this and will do whatever they can to stop you from embarrassing yourself because of them. That, of course, is the main message of our opening bible text. 

Absalom was throwing a party for his sheepshearers and requested that his father, King David, and all his officials would be present there. But his father told him that he and his officials would not be attending the party. Why? Was it because he did not love Absalom or appreciate his generous invitation? No! He loved him and also appreciated his invitation. In fact, we are told in the account that he gave him his blessing.Why, then, did he insist that he and his men would not be coming? It was because he knew that their presence at the party would be a great burden for the young man. We are talking about taking care of the king and his high officials along with their servants and guards. 

The money and the logistics involved could be financially paralysing for him. And David did not want him to go bankrupt because of them. So, he simply gave him his blessing and told him not to worry about him and his officials.We too must be like that. We must be sensitive to people’s true conditions and not allow them to paralyse themselves because they want to please us or make us happy. Otherwise, once the harm is done, nothing we do may be sufficient in healing those involved.Then I want you to also keep in mind the fact that it is not every time that people give us the impression that they want to do something in our honour or to make us happy that they really want to make us happy.

 As we see in Absalom’s case, he really did not want David and his men to attend his party. That was because he already had plans of using the party as a cover-up for assassinating his elder brother, Amnon. And the presence of the king and his officials would not have made that possible. So, asking the king and his officials to grace his party was all pretence, something simply done to massage their ego. He already knew that they would not agree to come.

So, don’t ever assume that everyone that is giving you the impression that he will sacrifice himself to make you happy is actually willing to do so. They may just be flattering you and expecting you to stop them. But if you foolishly rest on their words, you will only have yourself to blame when those words break or shatter under you, leaving you injured and disgraced.Finally, it is important that we too are not overreaching in our attempts to make anyone in our lives happy. 

Otherwise, we may end up putting unnecessary and paralysing burdens on ourselves because of them. And are we going to be able to freely talk about the harm we have done to ourselves then? Not verry likely!So, know those things that are beyond your ability to give to people or do for them. And know the people that you have no true intention or ability to entertain and never insist that they visit you or be a part of something you are doing, just because you want to show them how much you respect them or because you want to use them to enhance your prestige. You may end up embarrassing yourself and feeling terrible for the rest of your life, if your best ends up not satisfying them or making them happy. Be wise.
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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Don’t make a monster of them | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 08, 2023 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 26

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“Your servant is in your hands, “Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.”

(Gen 16:6NIV)

As we go through Scriptures, we see that Sarah, the wife of Abraham, is consistently described as a virtuous, holy and submissive woman. She was a woman who stood by her husband all the time and who was always committed to doing anything that would keep him safe and happy, even at the risk of her own life. It is not surprising, then, that married believing women are instructed to emulate her way of life, if they want to earn the respect of their husbands and become models for others to follow. (Cf. Gen 12&20; 1Pet 3:1-6)

Nevertheless, in our opening bible text, we are told of a time in which this same Sarah mistreated Hagar, her maidservant. And the maltreatment she gave her was so intense that she fled from her. So, Sarah too had a history of being cruel to someone. And is that something believing women should emulate as well? No!

See, though believing women are told to emulate Sarah, she does not represent a perfect example of who godly women should be. Only Christ Jesus represents a perfect example of who all of us believe in Him, both male and female, should be. He, then, is the only one we are to emulate in all things and at all times. Yes, Scriptures recommend a number of people for us to emulate. But they also tell us what to emulate in them. And we must not go beyond whatever they tell us to emulate in people. Otherwise, to our own disadvantage, we may find ourselves emulating in others attributes that God has already judged as wrong or destructive. (Cf. Heb 12:1-2)

In any case, what was responsible for the cruelty that, at some point, found expression in that beautiful, holy and virtuous woman, Sarah? What was responsible for that stain that was found on her white garment of integrity? It was the misbehaviour of Hagar, her maidservant.

As the story goes, Sarah, because she was desperate about giving her husband Abraham a son, came up with the idea of giving Hagar, her maidservant to him as wife. And her plan was to adopt any child that came of that union as her own child. But why did she consider Hagar for that kind of sensitive task? It must have been because she loved her dearly and also trusted her very much. (Cf. Gen 16:1-3)

Now we know that there is hardly anything that could be more difficult for a married woman to tolerate than to share her husband with someone else. Even Leah and Rachel, who were blood sisters, had serious issues sharing the same husband (Gen 29-30). So, for Sarah to consider Hagar as the best person to bring into her marriage bed in order to raise a child for her husband, she must have thought very highly of her.

But to her utter disappointment, as soon as Hagar realised that she had become pregnant for Abraham, she began to despise her. She despised her so much that she became frustrated. And in her frustration, she began to blame her husband for her suffering. But in the first place, it was her idea to bring Hagar into their bed. How, then, was she able to conveniently blame her husband for the way things turned out? Maybe Abraham overpampered Hagar. Who knows! But it is clear that Hagar got the wrong signal after becoming pregnant and began to think that she had arrived in a place where she could displace Sarah at will. (Cf. Gen 16:4)

Thankfully, Abraham loved Sarah too much to allow anybody to come between them or to insult her personality. So, even though Hagar was carrying his child, he told Sarah to fix her. And that was what awakened the monster in her. She got herself together and treated Hagar to so much cruelty that she ran away from their house. I mean that she showed her who the real mistress of the house was. And if God had not stepped into the situation, giving birth to her son and raising him would have been a sort of hell for Hagar. (Cf. Gen 16:5-16)

But would lovely and gentle Sarah have turned to a cruel monster overnight, if Hagar had not overstepped her boundaries? Not likely! She loved her and trusted her. But her pride made her betray her love and trust. So, even though she was eventually allowed back into that house, things never remained the same for her there again. Sarah, for instance, did not adopt her son to be hers again. And that was why when she had her own son, she insisted that Hagar and her son, Ishmael, leave the house. (Cf. Gen 21)

What is the point of all this? First, it is that we can turn very good and kind people into monsters through our misbehaviour to them. And when they strike, we may not be the only ones that will suffer – others in our lives also may suffer along with us. So, don’t take lightly those who have been good to you or instrumental to certain records of success you have in life, just because you are now richer or better placed in life than them. Don’t abuse their generosity or the rare privileges they have given you. Otherwise, the pains they may feel may be beyond what you can imagine. And those pains may be what will wake up the monster in them. Then you will be surprised to see that the same hand that once fed and nurtured you is now carrying a sword to severe your head.

Second, don’t allow anyone to turn you into a monster and forever ruin your testimony before God and His people. It will always be on record that Sarah once maltreated someone. No, she never thought it would come to that. But her bad decision of bringing Hagar into her bed made things come to that.

So, as we relate to people, we must not allow any form of desperation or excitement to lead us into taking them to beds they are never supposed to be sleeping on or into giving them privileges that they are not mature or wise enough to manage. Otherwise, they may end up using what we have given to them to do to us things that will not only fill us with regrets but also fill us with strong desires for vengeance. Then some monsters will have been created. And it may take God’s intervention for such monsters not to destroy everything in their paths or themselves before they are healed and restored. Therefore, mind yourself.

Copyright © 2023, 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 Youth for Jesus

Title: Be willing to associate with them|Fire In My Bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones
Date: November 08, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 24

“…Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” (Rom 12:16NIV)

Twice we are told in our opening bible text not to be arrogant but to be willing to associate with people of low position. Why? First, it is because God Himself was willing to associate with us when we had nothing to offer Him. And why? It was so that He would be able to save us and elevate us to the position of sons in our relationship with Him. So, the bible says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8NIV)

In like manner, by associating with people of low position in our neighbourhoods, workplaces and even the church of God, we can be used by God to elevate them or protect them from some oppressors. Truly, we may not see ourselves as being in any position to elevate or protect anybody. But the truth is that, no matter how low we may think of our current place in life, we will still find people who will wish they were in that position. And that will be because they see us as living on a higher plane of life. 

Now it is such people that the word of God is telling us to be willing to associate with. That way, we may just be able to help them rise in life or save them from some situations that may lead to their disgrace or destruction. Look at Jonathan, the son of King Saul, for instance. Even though he was the crown prince of Israel and a mighty warrior, he was willing to associate with David when he was but a boy. Yes, David did something outstanding at the time for him to be noticed by Jonathan. Nevertheless, if he had been an arrogant prince, he would still not have associated with him, seeing that he was younger than him and also did not come from a wealthy family. (Cf. 1Samuel 18:1-4)

But Jonathan was not a proud prince or warrior. So, he came down to David’s level in order to make friends with him. And because he did this, God was able to use him to save the young man from the jealousy of his father, King Saul, and send him away from the land in peace, so that the purpose of God may be fulfilled in his life. (Cf. 1Samuel 19-20)   

Consider Joseph too. When he was in the prison, he had the rare privilege of meeting two important officials of the king of Egypt. These men offended their master, the king of Egypt, and were imprisoned for doing so. And as people had been used to power and money, they may have chosen not to associate with anyone in the prison, while waiting for the king’s judgment. But they humbled themselves and associated with Joseph, a slave and prisoner. So, God was later able to use one of them to save him from this prison that he had been unjustly sent to and to also open the door for the great dreams He had given to him to come to pass. (Cf. Gen 40-41)

In the same vein, by humbling ourselves to associate with those who are occupying lower social positions than us, we may just be making ourselves available for God to use in fulfilling His dreams of greatness for them. And where that is the case, they also may eventually be used by God in fulfilling certain dreams of His for our lives or be used by Him in rescuing us in some period of trials. But if arrogance had prevented us from associating with them, who are we going to blame, if they too are unwilling to associate with us if life becomes better for them?

So, the second reason we should be willing to associate with people of low positions is that they also may be occupying greater positions than ours tomorrow. See, the fact that someone is occupying a position lower than yours today does not mean that the person is a moron or that you have better abilities or prospects in life than them. David, at the time Jonathan met him, was a lowly Bethlehem boy. But he was also the one chosen and anointed by God as the future king of the land. So, by treating him well, Jonathan was simply helping his own future in the land.

Similarly, even though Joseph, at the time that the chief cupbearer of the king of Egypt met him, was just a common slave and prisoner, he had been chosen by God to be a father to Pharaoh and the saviour of the world of the time from a coming terrible period of famine. So, by associating with him, the man was just unconsciously building a relationship with a future world leader. And think of how he must have felt on the day Joseph was made the prime minister of Egypt by their king.

Well, the point of it all is that don’t allow pride or arrogance to keep you from building great relationships with the people of low position around you. That is because apart from the fact that God can use you to lift them up in great ways, He may also have appointed them to be the people that will lift you too up in a time of need. And if you allow arrogance to despise them now, how do you think they too will treat you, if the tables were to be turned? Only God can tell.

A word of caution, however: don’t associate with people of low position because you hope that God will want to use them to help you someday. That may not be in God’s plans at all. Even if it is, such people may forget your kindness or not permit Him to use them for you. And where that is the case, bitterness may overtake and ruin you, if your reason for helping them now is that they too may help you in the future. So, mind yourself.
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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Know when to keep quiet|Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: November 01, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 24

“But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”” (2Kings 18:36NIV)

Who were the people that remained silent and would not reply who was talking to them? It was the Jews under the reign of King Hezekiah. Who would they not reply? It was the commander of the army of the king of Assyria. And why would they not reply this man? They would not reply him because their king, Hezekiah, had told them not to answer him.

Now why would Hezekiah instruct his people not to answer this man? It was because answering him would not solve the problem at hand but only escalate it. As the account goes, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria at that time, had sent his commander with a great army to the land of Judah for the sole purpose of possessing the land and its people. And this commander began his campaign by first threatening the people and ridiculing their king and their God.

In fact, at some point, he began to address them in Hebrew, so that his threats and words of annoyance would sink into their hearts more readily. (Cf. 2Kings 18:17-35)That being the case, Hezekiah suspected that some of his people might become provoked by this man’s words and decide to answer him. And that was exactly what the man wanted. He wanted to provoke the people to respond to his threats, so that he would have an easy reason to attack the land. Then all that Hezekiah had been doing to avoid going to war with the Assyrians would have amount to nothing.

As the account further shows us, the army of Judah at that time was actually no match for the Assyrians’. That, of course, was why Hezekiah was doing all that he could do to avoid any kind of direct confrontation with them. And in doing this, he went as far as giving the king of Assyria all the gold and silver that he could lay his hands on in his treasuries. He even took things from the temple of God in order to appease this ruthless king. (Cf. 2Kings 18:13-16)

Nevertheless, Sennacherib would not stop haunting and harassing the nation of Judah. Why? He was bent on possessing it for himself. And he only needed a little insult or provocation from the people to attack them. This was why Hezekiah commanded his people not to answer the commander of his army whom he had sent to insult them.

See, Hezekiah knew that responding to this man’s threats and insults would not solve their problem in any way. Instead, it would only make it worse by bringing quick destruction upon them. The only one that could solve their problem at the time was their God whom the man had been insulting. He, then, was the person they were supposed to be talking to and not the man. And when they talked to Him about the matter, He answered them and turned all the threats of the commander of the Assyrian army into empty and useless threats. (Cf. 2Kings 19)

What is the lesson for us here? Well, it is that we must know when to keep quiet and not respond to people’s arrogant words or threats. Look, there are times that we may come across human opponents or enemies that we clearly do not have enough education, power, influence or money to defend ourselves against.

And these ones may deliberately be provoking us to say or do things that will give them a reason to attack and hurt or disgrace us. Our wisdom at such times, then, will be to be quiet and refuse to respond to whatever they say or do to us against us, however arrogant or annoying it may seem. That is because responding to them will simply make matters worse, something that we ourselves will know, if we are not foolish or reckless. Not replying such people in such situations, however, does not mean we are not to take any step towards defending or protecting ourselves against their nonsense. We must take steps towards doing that.

But our most important step will be to talk to God about what they are doing and let Him rebuke them for us. How He will rebuke them, of course, is up to Him. But we can be sure that if, instead of trying to fight a battle we cannot win, we will entrust the situation to Him, He will handle it for us. And when He is done, we might find ourselves asking, “God, have you not gone too far in dealing with this?”

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Before you risk your life|Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: October 18, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 23

“Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father’s family from taxes in Israel.” David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”” (1Sam 17:25-27NIV)

From our opening bible text, we see that one of the reasons David was very much interested in fighting Goliath was the reward offered by King Saul. Yes, of course, he wanted his nation to be rid of the shame that Goliath had brought upon them, threatening them for forty days and making their army look weak and worthless. But he was also interested in what he would gain, if he risked his life to save his country.

Now was anything wrong with that? No! Nothing is wrong with wanting something in return for being patriotic or faithful to our nation, family or organisation. It all depends on what we want in return. We may not want money, a position or the praise of people in return for our patriotism. But even if all that we want is a better standard of living for others, it is still something.

In like manner, nothing is wrong with wanting something in return for helping others or being good to them. It all depends on what we want in return for it. We may not want their money, praise or respect. But even if all we want is to simply see them live better lives or if all we want is God’s praise, it is still something. So, don’t ever say that you don’t want anything for being patriotic or for living a righteous or generous life. That is because we all always want something for whatever we do.

What we want, however, is what will show whether God is the one inspiring us to do what we do or the devil.Well, in David’s case, as I pointed out earlier, one of his reasons for risking his life to fight Goliath was the reward promised by King Saul. King Saul had promised to give his daughter in marriage to anyone who fought and defeated Goliath and to also exempt the person’s family from national taxes.

That, of course, must have sounded very good in the ears of the boy David And since he knew that he was anointed by God to handle such a situation, he did not hesitate at all to take it up. What David, however, did not think carefully about before risking his life in that manner was the character of the man who promised to reward him, that is, King Saul. Was Saul a man of his word? Or was he someone that would say anything to get some relief or peace when under pressure? Thankfully, for David, the reward for killing Goliath was not his main motivation for risking his life to fight him.

The deliverance of his people was his main motivation. Otherwise, he probably would have lost his mind after the whole show and told himself never to fight for Israel again. Why? Saul did not keep his word at all. He did not give David his daughter’s hand in marriage. On the contrary, David had to do the dirty job of killing two hundred Philistines and supplying their foreskins in order to pay the bride price for Saul’s daughter, Michal (1Sam 18:18-27).

Now since Saul did not freely give David the hand of his daughter in marriage, it is safe to also assume that he did not exempt his family from taxes in Israel. Why? Did he forget his promise, one that was reiterated in the ears of all the soldiers of his army and also documented for future generations to read? No! Or was it because he later became jealous of David and did not find it convenient again to reward him as his rival? No!What, then, was the problem with Saul? Why did he not fulfil his promise to David? The simple reason was that he was not actually a man of character.

A man of character would keep his word any day and any time, even if it is his enemy that he is dealing with or even if it is something that will eventually bring him distress. And that is because reputation means a lot to him. Herod executed John the Baptist at the request of Herodias’ daughter. He did not like to do it. He did not want to do it, for he knew that he would be killing an innocent man. Yet he killed him. Why? His reputation was everything to him. He had sworn an oath to give anything the girl wanted to her. And he had to keep his word to her, though it hurt him to do so.

If King Saul, then, had been anything like Herod, as far as reputation matters are concerned, he also would have done the needful in David’s case – he would have given him the reward he had promised. (Cf. Mark 6:17-28)

What is the point of all this? Well, first, it is that we should always see that our motivation for being patriotic or for helping others is rooted in the will of God. In other words, we should be patriotic, generous and helpful to others basically because we want to please God and not because of the reward of men. Otherwise, the reward of men that we are looking forward to may never come or be satisfactory, even if it comes.

Second, we should always consider the character of anyone we are dealing with before we start risking our lives for them. Some have been seriously injured along this line. They sold their properties, gave up well-paying jobs or borrowed huge sums of money to assist some family members, spouses, friends, lovers or even church members in their moment of need. And they got all kinds of promises on how they would be repaid or rewarded for what they did. Unfortunately, none of the promises made to them was kept because those who made them had no character.

So, they were left stranded and dejected. And there have been stories of those who took their own lives or who became deadly monsters because of such things.So, before you start risking your life or giving up your life savings for anybody, be sure you know them well. There can’t be assumptions or guesses here. And you can’t be acting on sentiments here. Otherwise, you may someday terribly regret your actions.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: A test of determination|Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: October 11, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 22

“When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.” (2Kings 2:1-2NIV)

One of the things we learn from Scriptures about God is that He appreciates determination. Yes, He is a God that gives freely to people without complaining about them (James 1:5). However, there are times that He considers people’s determination to receive from Him before giving certain things to them.Why did many of the children of Israel that Moses brought out of Egypt perish in the wilderness and did not make it into the Promised Land? One of the reasons for this, as we are shown in the bible, is unbelief. They did not believe that God was able to give the land to them.

But something also assisted their unbelief. That was insufficient determination to take what God wanted to give to them. (Cf. Numbers 13&14; Hebrews 3:19)But there were two people from that same generation that made it into the Promised Land. They were Joshua and Caleb. Why did they make it there? They made it there because apart from the fact that they had faith in God, they were also determined to make it there.

So, it is not enough for God to promise to give us something or to show us visions of what He wants us to be or enjoy in life; It is also important that we are determined to have what He wants us to have. If we are determined to have what He wants us to have, we will be willing to go all the day in doing whatever legitimate thing we can do to take what He is giving to us. But if we are not determined, there is every tendency that the challenges that we will encounter on our way (and we will surely encounter challenges) will bring discouragement to our hearts.

We mighty, then, stop believing and taking steps of faith towards taking for ourselves what He wants us to have.As we see in our opening bible text, even though Elijah had made it clear to Elisha that God had chosen him to take his place as the leading prophet in Israel, he was still prompted by God to test his determination to take the place He had already chosen for him. So, when the time came for him to be taken to heaven, he told Elisha to stay in Gilgal and not bother to follow him to Bethel, where God had sent him to go.

But did Elisha agree to stay? No! Instead, he told him that he would not leave him until he was eventually caught up to the heavens. Also, when they got to Bethel and Elijah told him to wait there, since God had sent him to Jericho, he told him that he would still not leave him. And though the prophets there also tried to discourage him from following this man of God, he did not listen to them. The same thing happened when they got to Jericho and Elijah told him to wait there, he would not leave him or pay attention to the words spoken by the prophets there to discourage him. Instead, he followed this man of God on to the Jordan. (Cf. 2Kings 2:1-6)

Why did Elisha act like that? It was because he knew that he had not yet received the spiritual authority and power to function in the prophetic position Elijah had publicly anointed him for. And he was determined to receive these things before the man was taken away from him. Otherwise, all that he would have was just a prophetic title; he would have no authority and power to back it up. Then everything he left behind in order to follow this man of God would have amount to nothing.

Thankfully, because of Elisha’s determination to take the place God had chosen for him, he eventually received from God the authority and power to function as the lead prophet in Israel. But do you know that Elijah had a servant that was serving him before God asked him to go and anoint Elisha in his place? He did. Why, then, was this servant not chosen by God to take his place? We are not told the reason in Scriptures. We are not even given his name. Why? It may be that God saw that he was not someone that was determined enough to serve Him in his master’s place.Look at all that is said about him in the bible: “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there.” (1Kings 19:3NIV)

It was after this, of course, that he received an instruction from God to go and anoint Elisha in his place instead of looking for the servant that he had left in Beersheba. But why, in the first place, was this man not with Elijah when God was talking to him? Why did he agree to stay in Beersheba instead of following his master all the way, regardless of where his path may lead them? We have no direct answers in Scriptures for these questions.

But it is clear from Scriptures that Elisha was utterly different from him. He was not going to leave the man God had appointed him to follow and serve until God’s reason for placing him under his leadership was fully accomplished, regardless of the level of stress that may place on his life. That is determination. And it paid off for him.In like manner, we too need to be determined to have certain things God wants us to have in order for us to have them.

Yes, we need to pass His tests of determination for certain things He has already chosen for us to be ours to possess and enjoy. We may, of course, be faced with all kinds of challenges on our way to taking for ourselves what He has chosen for us. But as long as we trust Him and are determined to have what He wants us to have, He will surely clear the way for us to have it.So, be determined to see God’s promises to you and the visions He has shown you come to pass in your life.

Be determined to go all the way in praying, meditating on Scriptures and taking all the legitimate steps you can take to be that person God has shown you that you can be. And my prayer is that He will count you worthy of His purpose for you and also fulfil every step of faith you take towards becoming all that He wants you to be in this life. Amen.

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Because of you|Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: October 04, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 21

“I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring.” (Gen 21:13NIV)

Who said these words? God! Who did He say them to? Abraham! Why did He say them to him? It was because he was distressed by Sarah’s demand that Hagar and her son Ishmael be sent away from their household.

As the account goes, Sarah had seen Ishmael mocking her son Isaac while a feast was being held in his honour on the day that he was weaned. What prompted him to do that? We would not know. But what he did that day gave Sarah reasons to think that he would one day become a problem for her son Isaac. And since her son Isaac, though far younger than Ishmael, was the true heir of Abraham, she decided that the only way to protect him and his inheritance was for them to send Hagar and her illegitimate son, Ishmael, away. (Cf. Gen 21:6-10)

Now this matter bothered Abraham greatly, and rightly so. That was because Ishmael was his firstborn child. And he loved him. Then I am sure Abraham, being a god-fearing man, did not want it look like they used and dumped Hagar. But the truth is that Ishmael brought that situation on himself. He was not mindful of the fact that his status in Abraham’s house changed the very day Isaac was born to Sarah. He was relegated to the position of a servant that day. As such, he did not have in that house the standing of one who could mock a legitimate son of the house and get away with it.

There is, of course, a lesson for us in that. And it is that we should always be mindful of our status wherever we are. Otherwise, we may find ourselves doing things we have no standing to do and getting ourselves into avoidable troubles. There are, for instance, people that have been sent away from their workplaces just for hissing or winking at the wrong persons. So, always be conscious of your standing where you are before you let yourself loose to do something you may forever regret.

In any case, Sarah was firm about the fact that Ishmael and her mother must go. And as if to make the matter worse, God was on her side. God told Abraham that he just had to let Hagar and her son go. That was because He had no use for them in fulfilling His good purpose for Abraham and his household.

However, to let Abraham know that He was not callous and would never support injustice or wickedness, God told him that He was going to make Ishmael great too. Why? Was it because Ishmael was a pretty boy? No! A pretty face is never enough for God to make someone great. Otherwise, Absalom would have been God’s choice and not Solomon.

Then maybe it was because Ishamel was a very smart boy that God told Abraham that He would make him into a great nation. Not at all. The fact that he allowed himself to be caught mocking Isaac showed that he was not really smart.

Why, then, was God going to make him great? As we see in our opening bible text, it was because of Abraham. In other words, the greatness Ishmael was going to experience and enjoy was not something he worked for or merited. Rather, it was a gift coming to him because of his father’s relationship with God.

In like manner, like Ishmael, there are many today that are enjoying certain measure of goodness and greatness in life because of certain people in their lives and not because of anything they have in themselves. On the other hand, we also have people that are suffering in some ways in life because of the relationships they have with certain people and not because they themselves are evil or wicked. And what this is telling us that we need to watch how we live before God and before men.

See, the kind of relationship we build with God and also with men can go a long way in defining the quality of life that our children, family members, friends or anyone close to us will enjoy. Because of us, God or men may give the people in our lives certain experiences of favour and goodness that could have gone to others. And because of us as well, certain doors of favour and greatness may be shut against those who are related to us or close to us.

Which will it be, then? Will God and men be opening doors of favour, goodness and promotion to the people in our lives because of us or will they be shutting these doors against them because of us? Everything hangs on the kind of relationships we are currently building with God and men.

My prayer is that you will be enabled by God Himself to share with Him and others in your world wonderful and meaningful relationships that will continually open great doors of enjoyment for all the people connected to you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Cheers!

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: You may mess things up|Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones
Date: September 27, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 19

“Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.” (Mark 1:43-45NIV)

Who did Jesus send away with a strong warning? It was a man that he had healed of his leprosy. As the account goes, this man had approached the Lord and begged Him to heal him of his leprosy. And He had compassion on him, touched him and cured him of his leprosy. Then, as Mark shows us in our opening text, the Lord proceeded to strongly warn him not to tell anyone about what He had done for him.

But why would the Lord warn this man not to share his healing testimony with anyone? Was it not a good thing that He did for him? And would the sharing of his healing testimony not bring even more people to Him, so that He could minister to them as well? What exactly was on the Lord’s mind when He strongly warned this man not to share his testimony with anyone?

Well, no one knew the answers to these questions until the man involved disobeyed the command the Lord had given him. As we further see in our opening bible text, despite the strong warning the Lord had given him not to tell anyone about how he got healed of his leprosy, he still went around, speaking freely about it and spreading the news. Consequently, the Lord could not openly go anywhere without being besieged by crowds of people. 

Now it is true that among the reasons Jesus came into the world was to heal and set men free from all their sicknesses and diseases. But He could not have possibly been doing this all the time. He too was a man. So, like every other person, He needed to eat, rest, sleep, visit his family members and do other things that are normal and legitimate for every human being to do. Also, He needed time to pray and study the word of God and meditate on it. Otherwise, exhaustion would soon set in and make Him useless in ministering effectively to those coming to Him.

So, when the Lord told that man not to share his healing testimony to anyone, it was so that He would have enough breathing space to freely go around and minister in an organised way. That way, He would be able to minister effectively to more people and in more places without calling undue attention to Himself or wearing Himself out. But that man robbed Him of all this through his disobedience.

Yes, the man must have thought that he was helping the ministry of Jesus by publicising what He had done for him. But he was wrong. He was not helping His ministry at all. Instead, he was hindering it. The only way he could have helped His ministry was to have listened to His instruction and kept quiet. But he did not. So, he made it hard for Him to minister in that area according to His plans.

Now what is the point of all this? It is that we don’t know better than God. So, when He gives us an instruction, whether directly or through any of His servants, we should take it seriously and not act otherwise. Yes, as people with brains, we may think differently about something God has already instructed us about. Nevertheless, if we indeed agree that His foolishness is wiser than our wisdom, we will do as He has instructed us.

See, it is not every time that we will immediately understand why God is asking us to do something or not to do it. There are some things that we will not know the reason God has given us instructions about them until we obey or disobey Him. 

How, then, would you feel, if you had to learn that God is wiser than you through your disobedience and that you had missed something good He had prepared for you? Or how would you feel, if you had to find out that you had messed up God’s work, your life or a loved one’s life while you actually thought that you were helping Him? 

Those are hard questions to answer, right? So, when next you receive a spiritual instruction, see to it that you do as you are told instead of trying to follow your mind. Otherwise, like that leprous man whom the Lord healed, you too may end up messing up things. And who knows how messed up they will be?
Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Don’t give yourself to desolation|Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones
Date: September 20, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 18

“…And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom's house, a desolate woman.” (2Sam 13:20NIV) 

Why did Tamar give herself to living a desolate life? It was the rape experience she had with her half-brother, Amnon. As the account goes in the bible, because Amnon could not deal with his irrational love for Tamar, he resulted to using manipulation to get her into bed with him. 

Unfortunately for him, the young lady would not willingly participate in the incest that he suggested to her. So, he overpowered her, raped her and then drove her away like as one would drive a stray dog away. (Cf. 2Sam 13:1-19)

To make matters worse, when their father, King David, heard about the case, he was only furious -- he did not do anything about it. He did not give Amnon any serious punishment at all, one that would let him and other rapists like him know that there was no place for them and their nonsense in Israel.

 Why? He was probably looking at the political implications of punishing the crown prince for raping his own sister. He probably even did his best to hide from the public what happened, so that the image of his family would not be tarnished. (Cf. 2Sam 13:21)

In any case, Amnon got away unscathed after raping his sister. And since he could rape a princess like that and get away with it, then, nothing would have happened, if it were a commoner that he had raped. The matter would also have been swept under the carpet and more easily too.So, we should understand that it is not only commoners that may be suffering injustice in our land. 

Some highly placed people too may be suffering injustice in silence. They too are angry. And they want to fight back and punish the injustice they have suffered with all the strength, authority and power they have. But some of the people in their lives will not just allow them to do so. 

Why? Image! They don’t want the public image of their family, company or political party to be ruined. So, though they are hurting and aching as a result of what has been done to them, they just have to let it go and bear their pains in silence for life or until an opportunity to judge those who hurt them without ruining the image they are trying to protect shows up.  

If you, then, have been a victim of any form of injustice, don’t think your case is peculiar. Don’t think it is because you are not as rich, influential or educated as some people that your matter has gone unjudged. 

That is because even if you are rich, influential or highly educated, you may still be unjustly treated and not be able to do anything to punish those who have cheated you.However, even if you have suffered any form of injustice, what becomes of your life, going forward, is what is important. 

As we see in our opening bible text, beautiful Tamar refused to move forward with her life because of the injustice that she had suffered. So, as young and beautiful as she was, she retired to her elder brother’s house and began to live a desolate life, a joyless life.

 In other words, she allowed what happened to her to make a mess of her. Why? She, unlike her father, did not know how to draw strength, courage and wisdom from God to heal and rebuild her life (1Sam 30:1-6).

Now perhaps that is where you too are right now. You are living in desolation because of certain injuries or injustice you have suffered in the hands of some people. 

You need to wake up, give your life over to God and let Him heal and restore you. That way, you won’t have to make a waste of your life because of the wickedness done to you.Remember Joseph. 

Remember that he too suffered all kinds of injustice, first from the hands of his own blood brothers and then from the hands of Potiphar’s wife. Yet he did not allow his life to stop or to become useless because of these things.

 Instead, he entrusted himself to God and gave himself to diligently doing everything that was committed to his care. So, he was healed and lifted up in due season. And to show that he was completely healed by God, when he eventually met his brothers again, he had no grudges against them.

 Instead, he forgave them and saved them and their families from the seven years of came upon their land. In like manner, you too can be totally healed of whatever injury you have suffered from the hands of men, if you will commit yourself to God to heal you. And you should do that without delay instead of giving yourself to a life of desolation and uselessness. That is because if you stop your life, ruin it or make it joyless because of anybody, you will have only yourself to blame.

 And guess what? God may eventually win over to His side those people that hurt you and whom you are using as your excuse for messing up your life. They, then, will go on and become useful and mighty instruments that will be highly rewarded in His kingdom, while you will have wasted your life and have nothing to receive from God for it. So, be wise, my friend and begin to do the right thing right away.
Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Don’t make it hard for Him|Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: September 13, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 18

“The LORD says, “I will teach you the way you should go; I will instruct you and advise you. Don’t be stupid like a horse or a mule, which must be controlled with a bit and bridle to make it submit.”” (Ps 32:8-9GNT)

From what we see in our opening text, it is clear that God is committed to leading us in the way we should go to enjoy His best and also be the best we can be in life. However, for Him to successfully lead us to experience all that He has in store for us, we have to willingly and humbly yield ourselves to Him.

Otherwise, He may not be able to accomplish His purpose in us without hurting us.See, God reserves the right to let us be, if we will not cooperate with Him in guiding us to be all that He wants us to be in life.

Yes, He can choose to allow us to lead ourselves, if we will not allow Him to lead us. And if that happens, sooner or later, we will realise that we cannot lead ourselves without ruining our lives and even everything we hold dear.Then if God, out of compassion and in spite of our stubbornness, still decides to lead us to experience His goodness, He may have to take very drastic measures to make us submit to Him and follow Him.

For example, Jacob once found himself wrestling with a man that had appeared to him while he was faced with an imminent attack from his brother, Esau. What led to his struggle with this man? We would not know. But it is clear from the account that he knew that the man he was wrestling with was no ordinary man but one in a position to bless him. (Cf. Gen 32:22-32)

Now the question is, “Why was Jacob wresting with one who could bless him?” Why did he not just yield to the man and freely receive his blessings? Well, as the account further goes, when the man realised that he could not overpower him, he hit his hip and threw it out of joint, so that he began to limp for the rest of his life.

And it was after then that he blessed him and changed his name to Israel.But what is the point of this experience that Jacob had? It was to teach him that he had been struggling with God all his life instead of yielding to him. Jacob was someone that truly believed in God and in His purpose for his life.

However, the story of his life before that experience shows that he was also someone that believed in using his own schemes to help God realise His purpose for his life. We see this in the way he cheated his brother, in the way he lied to his father and also in the way he related to Laban, his uncle. He always had something up his sleeves in dealing with everyone in his life.So, when he was supposed to go back home and settle down to enjoy his family and prosperity, the fear of his brother would not let him have peace of mind.

That, of course, was when God showed up to him in form of a man. And He showed up to him to let him see that unless He hurt him, He would not be able to fulfil His good purpose in his life, as long as he continued to insist on doing things his way. So, Jacob learnt utter submission to God and His ways in a hard way.

Now, as we see in our opening text, God is warning us too, telling us not to be Jacob. He is telling us not to be like horses or mules that had to be restrained and controlled with bit and bridle in order to make them listen to their riders. In other words, He does not want us to make leading us to experience His goodness hard or difficult for Him.

Instead, He wants us to willingly yield ourselves to Him and to His word, so that He will be able to fulfil His good purpose in us without having to first injure us. Otherwise, He may just decide to let us be and so fail to be what He wants us to be in this life. In like manner, in all our human relationships, we need to learn to cooperate with those who have authority over us and are in a position to make our lives better through their leadership, as long as they are in the will of God. We should not make leading us difficult for them (Heb 13:17).

Otherwise, they may have to take very drastic measures in making us do what we should have been willingly and naturally doing for our growth, development and profitability in life. And that may not leave us without some injuries or pains.