Category: Youth for Jesus

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: I will not be a judge of such things|By: J.O. Lawal|Fire in my bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones
Date: May 24, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 2
“While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court. "This man," they charged, "is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law." Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law — settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things." So he had them ejected from the court. Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever.” (Acts 18:14-17NIV)

Why did Gallio refuse to judge the matter between Paul and the Jews that had brought him to his court? It was because he did not have enough light on it. It was a religious matter that they brought before him, a matter involving Christianity and Judaism. But this man was neither a Christian nor a Jew. So, there was no way he could judge the case without being bias or unjust. 

But you know that it is one thing to know that you are not fit to handle something; it is another thing to admit that you are not fit to handle it. Gallio admitted to himself that he was not knowledgeable enough to judge Paul’s case with the Jews, even though he was a proconsul, a governor, at the time. So, he told Paul’s accusers in plain terms, “I will not be a judge of such things – go and handle this matter yourselves.” And even though they protested and began to beat the ruler of their synagogue, Gallio didn’t give a damn. He simply had all of them ejected from his court. What a man!

Now compare Gallio to Pontus Pilate who judged the case of Jesus. First, Jesus was not under his jurisdiction but under Herod’s jurisdiction. So, it was Herod that was supposed to judge His case. But Herod lost interest in judging the matter, when Jesus was not answering any of his questions, questions that were evidently irrelevant to the matter at hand. So, he sent Him back to Pilate. (Cf. Luke 23:1-12)

In any case, even though the Lord was sent back to him in that manner, he still did not have enough light to judge His case. Why? Like Gallio of Paul’s time, he too was neither a Jew nor a believer in Christ Jesus. So, he should have told the people plainly that he would not be a judge of such things. But he did not do that. Instead, he sat in judgment over Jesus and committed the greatest act of injustice of all times. He sentenced the author of life, the only man that ever lived without any sin in His life, to death and became partakers of the crime of His accusers. 

Why? He wanted to please the crowd (Mark 15:15).What is the point of all this? It is that you should learn to excuse yourself from matters that are beyond your knowledge to judge or comment on. It is normal for people to want to drag us into matters that do not concern us. Sometimes, it may be out of respect for us or because they believe we are in a position to attend to such matters.

 But regardless of what position we are holding in life or how knowledgeable we may be, there are matters that we have no business attending to and matters that are just too high for us. For example, David, even though he was God’s anointed king, once wrote in a psalm of his, “I do not concern myself with matters too high for me or subjects that I do not understand.” Why? He knew it is only arrogant people that get involved in judging cases they do not understand. And such people can only end up becoming evil judges and partakers of the sins and punishments of others. (Cf. Ps 131:1-2)

What about our Lord Jesus Himself? He also once refused to judge a family case brought to Him by a man. The man had asked Him to command his brother to divide the inheritance with him. And how did the Lord respond to that? He simply said, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” In other words, the Lord was saying, “Look, it is not in my place to judge matters like this.” (Cf. Luke 12:13-14)

Now since there were cases the Lord Jesus did not see Himself as in a position to justly judge when He was here on earth, then, we also should know that it is not every case we are fit to judge. Unfortunately, even many that we call men and women of God today do not understand this. So, they want to judge, comment on and even pray about every matter people bring to them or every current issue in their society. Why? They want to become popular among men, just like Pilate.

 But because they do these things without asking themselves whether they have enough information or are in the right positions to handle them or not, they end up lying or becoming associated with the sins of certain wicked people. And that is how many of them have lost their respect, even among those who once cherished them. 

Well, the word of God is coming to you now and saying, “It is not every matter that you are fit to judge or comment on.” And to say the fact, it will take wisdom for us to recognise such matters and strength of character to refuse to judge them. My prayer, then, is that you will always have sufficient wisdom to know matters that are not your business and sufficient strength of character to steer clear of them. Amen.

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: Limiting circumstances |By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: May 17, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 1

“Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert.” (Num 14:33NIV)

Why did God say that the children of the Israelites that rebelled against Him in the wilderness, when He was leading them into the Land of Promise, would be nothing but shepherds for forty years? Was it because that was the only vocation available for humans at that time? No! There were all sorts of vocations that people could learn and practise then.

In fact, as we see in Scriptures, there were all kinds of skilled workers among these Israelites at that time. For example, we have people like Bezalel and Oholiab among them at the time. And these young men were experts in all kinds of crafts. There were also among them women who were skilled in spinning cloth materials. (Cf. Ex 31:1-11 & 35:25-26)

So, at that time, there was no shortage of skills to engage in all kinds of vocations that could transform a land into a wonder among these Israelites. But how much could they accomplish for themselves and their nation with their various skills and vocations while wandering in the wilderness? Not much!

The prevailing circumstances in that wilderness did not give much room for them to fully utilise whatever special skills or abilities they had and build great vocations or careers with them. They could not settle down there to farm. They could not settle down there to build houses. And they could not set up a market there for people from different nations to come and trade in. The best they could do there was take care of their animals and wait until God led them out of there into the land flowing with milk and honey, which He had promised them.

But why, then, didn’t they just get out of the wilderness and move into the land God had promised them? They could not. They could not because they had no power of their own to take that land. God had to give it to them. Then why was God not giving it to them, since He had promised to do so? It was because He did not want the unbelieving older generations among them to enter the land. So, He was waiting until the last one of them died before giving the land to their descendants, something that took forty years. And that, of course, also means that those qualified to enter that land of rest and prosperity were stuck in the wilderness because of their natural relationships, their relationships with their parents, grandparents, uncles, aunties and so forth.

What is the point of all this? It is that the circumstances of our birth or of where we are can put certain limitations on us, even lifetime limitations. Yes, the circumstances of our family or those of where we live, work, do business or study can keep us in poverty, illiteracy, danger or illness. And it does not matter how hardworking, diligent, educated or gifted we may be, those circumstances may never allow us to attain certain heights of usefulness, prominence, prosperity or comfort in life.

Unfortunately, many don’t know this. They don’t know that regardless of what degree of hard work, diligence or carefulness they employ where they are, as long as certain circumstances are prevalent there or in their families, their efforts will not succeed in giving them the experience of prosperity or peace that they desire. So, they keep putting in more effort. And if they are not shown mercy by God, frustration and depression are bound to set in at some point and ruin them.

What, then, do such people need? They need divine intervention. In other words, they need God to step into their situation. And what will that accomplish? First, when God steps into their situation, He will open their eyes to see what their problem really is, which is that they are being limited or hindered by certain circumstances of their lives. Second, He will take steps to remove or change the circumstances limiting them or take them away from those circumstances to where they need to be to flourish and be all that He wants them to be.

In the case of the Israelites that we are considering, God, at the right time, had to lead them out of the wilderness into the land He had prepared for them, so that they could flourish with their gifts, abilities and vocations. Otherwise, their names and memories would have disappeared along with them in the wilderness. But in the case of Isaac, when he was living in Gerar and there was a severe famine in the land, all God needed to do was give him favourable circumstances. So, though it was a time of severe famine, the man still rose above all odds and flourished in the land. (Cf. Gen 26)

So, if you feel or can see that certain prevailing circumstances where you are have been working against you and making nonsense of your diligent labour or carefulness and forcing poverty, illness, illiteracy or any other terrible thing on you, don’t waste time at all to take the case up with God. That is because He is the only person that can show you what to do and also fix the problem for you. And He will surely have it handled for you, if you will patiently allow Him.

But if you choose to use your own wisdom to address things and move to where you should not move to or stay where you need to get away from, you will someday realise, like Naomi of bible days, that you have not solved your problem at all but have only made it worse (Ruth 1). My earnest prayer is that you will act wise in this matter and not make things worse for yourself while you are trying to handle them. Amen.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

You Will Not Find a Better or Greater God | By: J.O. Lawal | FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: May 10, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 52

“Ahaz gathered together the furnishings from the temple of God and took them away. He shut the doors of the LORD’s temple and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem.” (2Chron 28:24-25NIV)

Why did King Ahaz shut the door of the Lord’s temple? It was because he did not want anyone to use it as a place of worship again. Why did he not want anyone to use the Lord’s temple for worship anymore? It was because he was angry with Him. And why was he angry with Him? It was because he felt that He was his problem – he felt that He was the reason he lost almost everything he had inherited from his ancestors.

Truly, as the account of his reign goes, things were put in reverse gear when this man became king. Everything went backward and not forward. And raiders came against the nation from every side to ruin it and to take the people captive. The situation was so bad that God, at some point, had to show mercy and intervene through one of His prophets, so that certain two hundred thousand wives and children of the land that had been taken captive would be released and sent back home. (Cf. 2Chro 28)

Yet Ahaz saw God as the problem. But was God really the problem? Was God really the reason the nation collapsed under his reign? No, God wasn’t the problem. He was the problem. He was the one that chose not to honour and worship God, as his father Jotham and his grandfather Uzziah had done. He was the one that chose idolatry and the practice of sorcery as his own way to be safe and secure. This man, as the bible tells us, was so detestable and ruthless that he offered his own sons to his gods in the fire. (Cf. 2Chro 28:1-4)

Therefore, God took away his protection. And the land became vulnerable and unsafe. What, then, should he have done? He should have returned to the God of his ancestors; he should have returned to the God that kept the nation safe and prosperous under the reigns of his father and grandfather. But did he? No, he did not!

Instead, he went deeper into idolatry. Look at how the bible puts that: 

“In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD. He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel.” (2Chron 28:22-23NIV)

Think about that. Ahaz was ready to worship any god that he considered to be the winning god. But he would not worship the living God. Why? He was hoping that he would find a better and more powerful god than Him. 

See, Ahaz knew that the reason he was crushed and defeated by the nations around him was that he forsook the God of his ancestors. And that made him mad. It made him mad because he felt he should be free to choose any god he wanted and not having anyone force any god on him. So, he wanted to shame God by finding a more powerful or greater god than Him to worship. That was one of the reasons he shut the doors of the temple of God and multiplied idol worship in the land.

But did Ahaz find a greater or more powerful god than the living God? No! Why did he not find? It was because there is none. There is no god greater or more powerful than the living God. To say the fact, He is the only God that exists. All the so gods that people worship are no gods at all. They are either idols, the works of men, or demons, beings created by God. So, if anyone thinks he is going to find a greater, better or more powerful god than the living God, the person has already failed before his journey starts. 

What is the point I am making? It is that there is no greater or better god than the living God. In fact, there is no other god but Him. Therefore, if, like Ahaz, you want to forsake Him for some other gods because you think He is your problem or because you think serving Him is burdensome or because you think He is too weak or slow for you, you also, like Ahaz, will someday realise that you are your own problem and that you cannot find any god like Him or any god greater or better than Him. But will your life still be intact then? Will it not have become utterly or eternally ruined by the time you find out?

Ahaz’s life and country were ruined because felt he was free to choose his own god or gods and still be fine. And there are still many like him today who equally think they are free to choose their own gods or not to choose any god at all but become their own gods. But they are wrong. Man is not free to choose his own god or gods, for he did not create or make himself. Man was created by the living God. So, he already has the God he is to worship, serve and live for. And the best thing he can do for himself is to accept this reality and live accordingly. That will be his wisdom. That will be his eternal peace.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Would you rather have Satan stay? |By: J.O. Lawal Number: Vol. 5, No. 51|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: May 03, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 51

“Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man — and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.” (Mark 5:14-17NIV)

Why did the people mentioned in our opening bible text plead with Jesus to leave their region? Was it because they did not believe in His ministry? No! As the account goes, they just witnessed something about the power and effectiveness of His ministry. They just saw how He healed and made whole a man who had been mad and who had been a terror to all of them. So, even if they did not believe in Him and in what He could do before, what they witnessed was enough to make them believe.

Yet, as we are told in the account, they were not willing to experience more of the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ in their lives, homes and region. So, they literally begged Him to leave them alone. Why? Why would they not want a man who had enough power to set a demoniac free from years of torment to stay with them? Imagine what His stay among them for a few days could mean to them. Imagine the kind of liberty and joy His stay could have brought to all the people among them that were being oppressed of the devil.

But they would not have Him. And why? The reason was that they were afraid of the financial implications of His stay. And was it that the Lord needed them to pay Him in order to stay and minister among them? No! Truly, today we have many so-called preachers that the thought of the cost of hosting them will not allow many who will have loved to be beneficiaries of their ministries to dare inviting them. But our Lord Jesus was never like that. For Him, the principle of ministry is, “Freely you have received. Freely give.” (Cf. Matt 10:8)

Since the Lord, then, was not going to take any money from these people in order to minister to them, what financial implications were they afraid of? As we are further shown in the account, what they were afraid of was that the Lord’s stay in their land may bring more harm to their businesses. Why did they think like that? It was because when the Lord drove out the demons in the mad man that was healed, He gave them permission to go into a herd of pigs that was nearby. And all the pigs these demons went into, about two thousand of them, rushed into the lake close by and drowned. (Cf. Mark 5:1-13)

Now why did the Lord permit those demons to go into those pigs? We are not given any direct reason in the account. Yes, we know from Scriptures that the Israelites were not permitted by God to eat pigs – they were unclean for them. But there is nothing in Scriptures against rearing them. By the way, camels, for instance, were also among the animals that were unclean for them to eat. Yet many of them had these beasts of burden and were using them for their travels. So, using the ceremonial uncleanness of those pigs as the Lord’s reason for allowing demons to enter them may not really hold water. (Cf. Lev 11)

What, then, was the Lord’s reason for permitting these evil spirits to have their way on this occasion? To answer that, we need to first remember that it was those demons that requested that Jesus would send them into those pigs – it was not the Lord’s idea to do that. And why did they make this request? As Mark tells us in his account of the incident, it was because they did not want to leave that region (Mark 5:10). They wanted to continue their operation there, tormenting the people and destroying their lives. And the only way for that to happen was for them to have bodies (houses) to occupy or live in.

Now they had thought that those pigs would be able to house all of them, since they were many. But the Lord knew better. The Lord knew that those animals could not handle demonic possession. They would rather die than do so. And that, of course, would ruin the business of their owners. Yet He permitted them to go into them. Why? I believe it was to reveal what was really in the heart of the people living in that place.

Remember that God did something similar, when Satan sought permission from Him to attack Job and his possession. He permitted him to attack Job and all that he had to reveal the truth about the man’s devotion to him to Satan and others watching. And though the man lost everything and was terribly afflicted in his body, he did not disown God but held fast to Him till He brought him salvation and restoration. That shows that he valued God more than his own life and more than his possessions. (Cf. Job 1&2)

Unfortunately, that was not the case with the people of Gadarenes. They cared more about their businesses than the salvation of that mad man and the salvation of their own souls. They cared more about money than the presence of Jesus Christ in their lives. The presence of Jesus in their territory threatened their businesses. But the presence of that legion of demons did not threaten them. So, begged Jesus to leave, indicating that they preferred to have Satan reigning among them than to have Him reigning among them. How sad!

But then, the truth is that many today, including Christians, are not different from these people of Gadarenes. They too would rather have Satan ruin their lives, homes and relationships or the lives of others, as long as their money, fame or position remains intact, than to experience the salvation of Jesus and perhaps lose these things. And if you are one of such people, this word is coming to you now so that you can examine your heart and ways and repent. Otherwise, you may never ever be free from the dominion of darkness.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Why are you into it? | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 26 , 2023 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 50L

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there.” (Acts 19:32NIV)

Those were the words Luke used in describing a situation he witnessed while he and some others were staying and ministering in Ephesus with Paul. As the account goes, Paul had been in Ephesus for about three years or so, preaching the good news of Jesus Christ and seeing many lives being remarkably transformed. In fact, his ministry in this city and the other surrounding cities was so effective that many who had been involved in the practice of witchcraft and sorcery gave up their magic books to be burnt and totally turned away from the devil to serve the living God. (Cf. Acts 19:18-20)

Now, while all these things were happening, while Paul and his companions were ministering in Ephesus in the power of the Spirit of God, certain people’s businesses were being terribly affected because of what they were doing, even though they did not deliberately set out to harm those businesses. One of them was a silversmith named Demetrius. This man, according to Luke, was like a big contractor in the business of idol carving. So, he used to bring in a lot of money for the craftsmen and other people in related trades in the land. (Cf. Acts 19:23-24)

But when many people in Ephesus and in practically all the surrounding cities began to turn away from idolatry, his business began to suffer terribly. And the reason was obvious. People were no longer making household idols as they used to, for the truth about idols had dawned on them. So, all the craftsmen that had been living off their ignorance began to run out of business. They never expected such a day to come. But it came.

Perhaps you too need to anticipate and prepare for the coming of a day in which your current business may not thrive again because of the elimination of some measure of ignorance in the world. As we all know, because of the employment of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in many organisations and businesses today, there are people that have become jobless. And there will still be more whose skills today will surely become irrelevant in years to come. Such people need to face the reality about what is coming and begin to acquire new knowledge and skills that will ensure that they continue to be relevant and needed by men. Otherwise, the kind of frustration that will eventually come upon them may be the kind that will send them to early graves.

Demetrius and his folks never thought a day would come when many of the people in their land would give up on idols and start using their money for things that are meaningful and profitable. But God brought that day upon them. And that got them seriously frustrated. So frustrated were they that they started a protest in the city and even took it to the theatre, so that the city officials would be aware of their frustration. (Cf. Acts 19:24-31)

Unfortunately, as Luke points out to us in our opening bible text, most of the people that were brought into this silly protest and led to be chanting ‘Great is the Diana of the Ephesians’ for about two hours did not even know what it was all about. In other words, they simply joined in the nonsense because they saw others joining. They did not ask questions to know why the protest was happening or whether it was of any benefit to them. They just joined. And it was after the city clerk had addressed them and pointed out the error of the protest that it became clear to them that they had wasted their time and energy on nothing. (Cf. Acts 19:33-41)

What is the point of this? It is that it is easy to be misled by a multitude. When many people are involved in something, the temptation to also join in doing it is often great. But both the word of God and history have shown us that the multitude does not always go in the right direction. Therefore, we must never be in a hurry to join any multitude to do anything or to go anywhere. Otherwise, the result may be calamitous.

See, if we are going to do something, it should not be because many people are doing it but because we know why we need to do it. And if we are going to be somewhere, it should not be because many people are going there or are there but because we know why we have to be there. Otherwise, we may end up wasting our time, energy and devotion on things that will never profit us and then become frustrated in life.

And there are many whose lives are bearing a testimony to this sort of waste and frustration. They went to school not because they knew what they would do with the education they wanted to receive but because everyone around them was going to school. Or they got into certain businesses not because they knew what to do with them but because many around them went into those businesses. And now they have become so frustrated that they are probably contemplating suicide. But whose fault is that? Thiers!

Well, if that is your situation at the moment, you don’t need to kill yourself or run away from home or further ruin your life with hard drugs or drunkenness. You just need to turn your life over to Jesus. He is able to heal you, guide you into what is best for you and also end your frustration. What, then, are you waiting for? Reach out to us now, and we will show you how to receive Him into your life and get your life back in shape.

Cheers!

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 General Post Youth for Jesus

Title: Make your work very good too
By: J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: April 19, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 49

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…” (Gen 1:31NIV)

Why are we taught in Scriptures to imitate God? It is because we can do so. If we could not imitate God, we would not be told to do so. But because we have been created in His image and after His likeness, we have what it takes to imitate Him. And that is exactly why we are told to do so. (Cf. Gen 1:27; Eph 4:24; Eph 5:1)

Now in what ways are we to imitate God? We actually have several instructions in Scriptures pointing us to ways in which we are to imitate Him. But the one I want to draw your attention to has to do with the way we handle our work. How, then, are we to imitate God in the way we handle our work? Or what exactly are we to imitate in the way God handles His work?

As we see in the book of Genesis, everything God made in the beginning was good, perfect and flawless. In fact, in our opening bible text, we are told that when God was done with all His work in the beginning, He Himself testified that all that He had done was very good. And why was His work very good? It was very good because He Himself is a good God. So, He cannot do anything that will not fully communicate His goodness or carry the trademark of His excellency.

That being the case, we too, who are God’s children and creation, must learn to function with the same mentality. We must continually say to ourselves, “I am God’s child and creation. So, I cannot do anything that will not fully communicate the goodness and excellency of God my Father.” And until we begin to function with this mindset, we will not stop handling our jobs and anything else that we lay our hands on anyhow.

When God started the work of creation, His focus was not to create a universe that He would have to come around to repair every now and then. Rather, His focus was to create a universe that would have all that it would need to transform itself with ever-increasing glory. That is why He has never had to repair the sun, the moon or any of the stars. And none of them has ever failed to live up to expectations.

Also, observed that God has never had to put any new thing here on earth since He created it in the beginning. Why? It is because He put in it right from the beginning everything that we would need to make it a wonder. So, we are the ones to do the investigating and searching. We are the ones to labour to find out the things He has placed here on earth to beautify it and make it most enjoyable for us. And ever since some of us have been doing that, we have been finding the earth to be more and more interesting to live in.

You can see, then, that when God judged all His works as very good, He was not overrating Himself. He did a very good creation job in the beginning. And whatever mess we are seeing in the world right now was not made by Him but by us through our sins and various scheming. (Cf. Ecc 7:29)

In any case, I said all of that to show you what we ought to imitate in God about our work. And that has to do with making the works of our hands very good too. In other words, just like God, whenever we are done with anything, we should be able to tell ourselves that what we have done is very good and will truly serve the purpose for which we have done it. But our works will not be very good, if our goal is not to make them very good. No, our works will not be very good, if our minds have not been renewed to embrace the fact that we were originally created by God to do good works and that everything we do must bear testimony to this fact, whether it is spiritual or natural. (Cf. Eph 2:10)

Look, doing things that are not good, things that are substandard, things that are of low quality and things that will not fully serve the purpose for which they are done is contrary to our nature and also to the will of God for us. In fact, we should consider it shameful and beneath us to do such things. So, if you are a child of God, you need to cleanse yourself of every culture of doing things anyhow, of doing things that will make those who are going to use them mad or upset with you.

Yes, sometimes, it is people that will compel you to go below what you know to be good and acceptable because they want something cheap. Yet they are the ones that will go about ridiculing your work as substandard or worthless. So, don’t allow anybody to kill the goodness of your work because of money. That is because it is not a must that you serve everyone. If you have to serve anyone, then, be sure to take from them what will make you serve them well. That way, the goodness of your work or service will by itself continually speak for you. And you will be proved to be a true child of God, your Father, whose eternal goal is to always make everything very good.

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Fire in my Bones General Post Youth for Jesus

Title: A time not to receive| By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: April 12, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 48

But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants?”” (2Kings 5:26NIV)

Those were Elisha’s words to his servant, Gehazi, after the latter had run after Naaman the Syrian to take some gifts from him, gifts that his master had initially rejected. And from what this man of God said to him, we can tell that there is a time to receive gifts and there is a time not to receive gifts. Remember that Solomon says there is time for everything, a season for every activity under the sun. And it is only when things are done at the right time that they are beautiful. (Cf. Ecc 3:1-11)

Gehazi received gifts from Naaman at a wrong time. And he and his descendants became carriers of the leprosy that had left the man. But what made it wrong for him to receive gifts from that man at that time? At least, from what we see in the bible, people had brought Elisha, Gehazi’s master, gifts in the past and he had collected them (2Kings 4:42). Why then did he refuse to collect Naaman’s gifts on that occasion, even though they were most likely of more value than any of the gifts he may have received in the past?

Well, the simple reason Elisha would not collect those gifts from Naaman was that he wanted him to know that his healing was a gift from God and that there was nothing he could give to pay for it. Jesus said this to His disciples concerning the healing authority He had given them: “Freely you have received, freely give.” So, when someone’s gift to us will constitute a payment for the gift of God, that is a time not to receive. And if we foolishly or arrogantly receive what they are offering, we, like Gehazi, may just end up becoming bearers of the problems God has solved in their lives.

Also, when someone’s gift to us will result in unwarranted boasting from them or make them want to assume the place of God in our lives, that is a time not to receive gifts. After Abraham had saved the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their allies from their enemies and recovered their possessions for them, the king of Sodom told him to keep all the possessions he brought back and give him only his people. But Abraham said ‘No’ to his offer. (Cf. Gen 14:1-21)

Why did Abraham refuse that king’s offer? According to him, it was because the man one day would most likely say, “I made Abraham rich.” And would that be true? No! God had already blessed him and given him great riches. So, there was nothing anybody could add to his life to make him rich or great. But if he kept taking gifts from everyone every time, it would not be long before some people would start putting themselves in God’s place in His life. And that would be his fault.

In like manner, if you do not want to give anyone a reason to try to dethrone God in your life, know when to receive gifts from people and when not to receive gifts from them. There are people who love to boast about every little thing they do for others, even when God could have used a thousand and one different people to do the same thing. Mark such people and take from them only payments for goods sold to them or services rendered to them. Otherwise, you may someday be shocked to find out they have been taken credit for what God has done in your life.

Then when someone’s gift is intended to buy favour, that is another time not to accept gifts. Gifts intended to curry favour are nothing but a bribe. And the bible says, “A bribe is a charm that blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.” So, watch out for those who may someday want to twist your mind with their gifts and be ready to politely refuse their so-called generosity. Otherwise, the price you will pay for what they are giving you today may be your very life. (Cf. Exodus 23:8; Deut 16:19; Prov 17:18)

When Jacob offered his brother Esau gifts years after they had parted, he would not accept them from him. Instead, he told him to keep his gifts for himself because he had enough. And Jacob had to plead with him again and again before he accepted them. Why did Esau respond that way? It was because he found it embarrassing that his own brother would want to pay him not to harm him. And if Esau, a man that the bible describes as godless, had enough sense to know when not to receive gifts, even from his own blood, we who are children of God have no excuse not to gain enough spiritual sense to know when to receive gifts and when not to receive them.

You will do well, then, to pay close attention to the truths I have brought you from Scriptures on this matter and be determined to apply them to your life. That may just be the difference between life and death for you someday. Cheers!

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

Be observant | By: J.O. Lawal. | Date: April 05, 2023 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 47

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up — one on one side, one on the other — so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.” (Ex 17:10-13NIV)

When Joshua led the nation of Israel to fight the Amalekites, as we see in our opening bible text, Moses also went with Aaron and Hur to the top of a hill to view the battle. But soon enough, Aaron and Hur observed that Moses was not just there to look at how bravely their men would fight. Rather, he was there to intercede on behalf of those men so that they would win the battle.

How did Aaron and Hur know this? It was by being observant. As the account shows us, when they got to the top of the hill, they could see that Moses was holding up his hands. And I am sure they must have initially felt that he was just blessing the men to win the victory. But as they stayed longer on the hill with him, they realised that he was not bringing down his hands at all – he simply continued to hold them up. That was when they began to pay attention to the significance of what he was doing.

Now what they did they discover? They discovered that as long Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he grew tired and lowered them, the Amalekites were winning. That, of course, showed them that what Moses was doing was spiritual. Truly, he did not open his mouth to pray out. But he was actually in a position of intercession for his people to win that battle by lifting up his hands towards the throne of God.

See, Moses himself was observant and spiritually sensitive to what was going on at that time. He had sensed in his spirit that offering some minutes of prayer or words of blessings for Israel’s army would not be sufficient on that occasion. He would need to intercede for them from start to finish, if they would win that battle. And that was exactly what he intended to do. He intended to keep his hands up with a heart of intercession till the job was done.

In like manner, there are times that we need to stay in a spirit of prayer or intercession till some problems are once for all solved. For example, some people have had certain problems come and go in their lives for years or decades. When these problems show up and they pray about them, they will disappear. But once they have some days or weeks of relief, the problems will show up again.

Such problems are just like the Amalekites Moses battled with. And hands must be steadily raised in prayers and intercessions until they are permanently solved or crushed. But we need to be observant and spiritually sensitive to know situations of our lives that require such approach. Otherwise, such situations will not stop irritating us.

Moses was observant and spiritually sensitive enough to know that he would have to pray from start to finish in order to defeat the Amalekites. And he gave himself to doing just that. But then, at some point, as it was to be expected of any human being, his strength began to fail him. The battle was hot. He probably did not anticipate that it would take as long as it did to defeat the Amalekites. But that was the reality. The enemy was not giving up. And though he had access to God’s power to defeat them, his human strength was already failing him. What was he going to do?

Well, thankfully, the men he took with him were also observant and spiritually sensitive. So, they were quick to do the maths and decide how to respond to what was happening. And how did they respond? They found a stone for Moses to sit on, when he grew tired, and each of them held each of his hands up till Joshua won the battle. Praise God!

We too need such people around us. Yes, we need people that are spiritually sharp and sensitive in our lives as our closest companions. Otherwise, when we are faced with Amalek, they may not know that we are losing until we finally lose a battle that we could actually win. So, don’t just keep people as friends for the sake of doing so. Instead, keep as friends people of great spiritual substance that will be able to recognise your hour of need and give you adequate support in it.

Then you too should be that kind of person to those in your life. Be one that is not just looking out for himself but for others as well. Otherwise, if some trouble should come for those in your life, you will not know a thing until it has destroyed them. And if all the good people in your life should end up being destroyed in that manner, who would be there for you in your own hour of need? So, wake up and stop being insensitive to the needs of others. And may the Spirit of God enable you to do the right thing. Amen.

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

Face the fact | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: March 29, 2023 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 46

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram’s herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.” (Gen 13:5-7NIV)

Why did quarrelling arise between Abraham’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen? It was because the place they were staying could not support the two family-groups. Lot, as we are told in our opening text, had been moving around with Abraham, his uncle. And in the process, he too had grown tremendously in wealth. That being the case, Abraham should have anticipated that at some point there would be clashes of interests, if he allowed him to continue to stay with him.

But somehow, maybe out of blood sentiments, Abraham would not readily face the fact that it was time for Lot to be independent and go his own way to establish his household and generation. So, they continued to stay together in the same place, even though it was becoming more and more glaring that the place they were was too small to support both of them and their possessions. And because they would not face the reality about their situation and deal with it, at some point, quarrelling broke out between their workers.

Now it is possible that those workers had been trying to keep their cool about the fact that the resources where they were could no longer support the two groups and that they both had to just tolerate each other. And that would be because they would not want to be the reason their masters, who were both relatives and who had been living together in harmony for years, would quarrel and become enemies. But that, evidently, did not take away the problem. That did not handle the fact that each family-group was simply trying to tolerate the other in using the resources available where they were.

A time came, however, when these two groups of workers could no longer hide their resentments and frustration. So, they let everything out and made it clear that, all along, they had just been trying to tolerate themselves in using the space and resources available to them where they were staying. And that was when Abraham realised that he had to face the fact about the situation and allow himself and Lot to part company, when they were still at peace with each other. Otherwise, the matter would grow worse and their parting then would most likely leave each of them with bitterness and pains.

What is the point of this? It is that when there is a need for us to make some changes in handling our relationships with others, we should do so and not allow sentiments to prevent us from doing the needful. Otherwise, what we are trying to prevent from happening may eventually happen and we may no longer be able to control its impart or outcome.

For example, it may be okay and very pleasant for you and a friend to be staying together as single brothers or sisters. But you need to accept the fact that, at some point, the circumstances of your life will not support your staying together. And if you are not prepared to do the needful before that day comes, though you are now good friends, you may end up becoming bitter enemies.

Or it may be okay for you to partner in business with a friend or a sibling when you are not married or when you are not occupying certain positions in life. But when some situations or circumstances change or begin to change in your life or in the life of that person, you need to face the reality about the impart this change will have on your lives and relationship and be immediate in doing the needful. Otherwise, what you are trying to protect or save may end up being lost.

The same thing is applicable to marriage relationships and the relationships between parents and their children. There are circumstances of life that will naturally affect these relationships, whether we like it or not. And how we handle the invasion or gradual introduction of these circumstances into our lives is what will determine whether they end up being a blessing to us or a curse.

For example, there are marriages that have been on fire since one of the couples got a promotion at work or got a better paying job. And there are parents that have been having serious issues with their children since those children crossed their teenage years. Is getting promoted a bad thing? No! But promotion can change a whole lot of things about someone. And if those in their lives will not face that reality, that promotion may end up being a curse to all of them.

Also, is crossing the teenage year a bad thing for any child? No! Every parent wants their children to grow up and become responsible in life. And all sane children also want the same things for themselves. But anyone who has crossed the teenage years is no longer a child but an adult. And if he and his parents are not ready to accept this fact and relate accordingly, they may end up being estranged for life, even though they have been best of friends before.

My point, at any rate, is that as your life’s circumstances and those of the people in your life are changing, face the reality about this change and be prepared to change accordingly. But if you allow sentiments to get in the way, the problem you want to avoid may end up coming up when and where you will have no answer for it. So, 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

A culture of making excuses | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: March 22, 2023 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 45

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’” (Matt 25:24-25NIV)

If we are ever going to become the persons God wants us to be and accomplish anything tangible in this life, one of the things we must rid our lives of is a culture of making excuses. An elderly friend once told me something a senior colleague had told him about excuses. And what was it? It was that excuses don’t move the work forward; excuses don’t get anything worthwhile done.

Now is that not true? Is it not true that excuses don’t get anything worthwhile done? It is true. So, don’t train yourself to be making excuses for not doing what you are supposed to do. Otherwise, you may end up keeping yourself stagnant for life.

As we see in our opening bible text, one servant that was given a huge sum of money to work with by his master only had excuses to give him, when he called him in to give an account of his service. His master, as the story goes, had gone on a long journey after giving him and two other servants of his huge sums of money to do business with. But while others went straightaway to put their money to work and profit with it, he was busy occupying himself with irrelevancies. (Cf. Matt 25:14-25)

Therefore, when his master came back and begun to question him about the money given to him, he lost no time at all to present his excuses. But he had months or perhaps years to work with what he was given. Why did he do nothing with it? Why was he comfortable playing around and doing nothing that his master would consider significant? The answer is simple. This man had no intention of working at all with what he was given. That was why, as his master pointed out, he did not even consider putting the money with him in a bank, so that he would receive it back with interest.

Now if you had ever dealt with people who have a culture of making excuses, you would have observed that they hardly use their heads. And don’t miss my point here. I am not saying that they are stupid. No, they are not. They are just people who usually don’t want to use their brains to get anything serious done well. So, while they are making excuses for their failure, non-performance or poor performance, what they could have done differently will be obvious to you. And you will be left wondering why they could not see something as obvious as that.

Well, the problem is that when someone has a culture of making excuses, it will rob him of initiatives. That is because instead of training his mind to solve problems, he will be training it to make excuses. Therefore, it does not matter how simple the task you give him is, he will surely find himself an excuse to fail at it or to defend his failure in handling it. And such a person has nowhere important to get to in life. He can only expect to daily diminish in relevance.

As we see in the case of the servant mentioned above, when his master would judge him, he called him lazy, unprofitable and wicked. Then he asked that the money with him be given to another person, who had shown himself profitable, and that he be thrown into a place of suffering. And that is the kind of sentence anyone who has a culture of making excuses can expect to receive from both man and God. (Cf. Matt 25:26-30)

So, if unconsciously or consciously you have been training yourself to make excuses instead of training yourself to get results in whatever you are meant to do, it won’t be long before you gain a reputation for being lazy, unprofitable and wicked at work, in your home, in your school, in the church or wherever you find yourself. Then all the people who could have done you good and help you rise in life will start withdrawing themselves and their favours from you.

Now that will be terrible for you, won’t it? It will. So, shape up and rid yourself of the evil mentality of making excuses for failure. And may God strengthen you to do so, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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)