Category: Youth for Jesus

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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)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Be ready for Sanballat|By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: March 15, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 44

“But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?” I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”” (Neh 2:19-20NIV)

Why were Sanballat and the people with him not happy that someone with authority and brains had come to help the Israelites? Though we are not given any direct reasons in Scriptures, it must have been because they were happy seeing them wallow in poverty, misery and insecurity. Apart from that, they must also have been benefiting from their miseries.

See, when people are profiting from your poverty, shame or illness, they will not want you out of it. Instead, they will want your condition to remain the same or permanent. So, if such people should begin to see you rise above that situation or should see someone coming to help you out of it, they may get seriously offended.

Also, if people have been happy seeing you wallow in misery, stagnation or shame, probably because you have offended them in the past or because they are just jealous of you, they will not be happy, if you should begin to take steps to move out of that situation. Then if people have been together with you at a particular level of life, not necessarily that of extreme poverty, and have become used to it, they may not be happy for you, if you begin to take steps that will make you rise above them or if things begin to happen in your life that are taking you above them.

But then, it is not everyone that is unhappy about your progress that will take steps to speak against it or to stop it. Some will only be angry with you for a while and then get over it. Whereas some will go beyond being angry with you to actually doing things that will discourage you or stop you in your path of breakthrough and advancement.

Now people like that are just like the Sanballat and Tobiah of Nehemiah’s days. And you have to be ready for them, if you are praying to God to elevate you and also working hard towards being elevated. You have to be ready for their taunts, mockeries and even physical or spiritual attacks. Otherwise, they will frustrate all your attempts and steps towards rising above your current level or situation.

As we see Nehemiah’s account, even though Sanballat, Tobiah and the thugs with them knew quite well that Nehamiah had the authority of King Artaxerxes to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and establish the people there, they still made up their minds to do all they could to discourage and stop him. They abused him and the people of God with him. They said the work they were doing was nothing, something that a fox could easily pull down by climbing it. They equally made attempts to attack Nehemiah and all the people working with him.

But did they succeed? No! Why did they not succeed? First, it was because Nehemiah did not show himself to be a weakling, someone that could easily be frightened or threatened through some small talks from some thugs (Neh 2:20). Second, it was because Nehemiah led the people to put their trust in God for their success and protection (Neh 4:4 & Neh 6:9&14). Third, it was because the man and his men were vigilant all the time. The moment they knew that Sanballat and his men would do anything to harm and stop them, they put everybody on red (danger) alert. So, while each of them was working with one hand, he was also holding his weapon in another hand (Neh 4:16-23).

In like manner, if you don’t want people like Sanballat and Tobiah who want to see you make no progress in life but to die in misery to succeed, you must first of all show them that you are not a weakling, one that they could easily frighten or discourage with some words of threats or mockery. Second, entrust your success and safety into God’s hands always. In other words, be devoted to praying and to proclaiming the good word of God concerning your life.

Then be always watchful and ready to do whatever lawful thing that is within your power to do to frustrate anyone that is trying to pull you down or hinder your progress. And just as God gave Nehemiah success and also protected him, so that he completed the wall of Jerusalem in just 52 days, He will give you too success and protect you, so that you will accomplish what you set your heart on accomplishing in record time.

Cheers!

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Beyond the face value | By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: March 08, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 43

“Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the LORD that if you don’t go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come upon you from your youth till now.”” (2Sam 19:5-7NIV)

As we are shown in the bible, there was a time (before David became king) that three of his mighty men risked their lives by fighting their way through the enemy lines in order to get water for him from a well near the gate of Bethlehem. But he would not drink the water they brought for him. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to God (2Sam 23:13-17).

Why did he do that? Was it because he did not appreciate what those men did? No, not at all! He did appreciate what they did with all his heart. However, he felt that their sacrifice was way too much for him to utilise. In other words, he was looking beyond the water that was brought to him to the effort that made it available. He was considering what those men went through to be able to bring him the water. One, two or all three of them could have lost their lives while fighting to get the water. So, he reasoned that the cost of the water brought to him was the value of the lives of the three men that brought it and did not consider himself worthy of drinking it. That was why he offered it to God.

Unfortunately, years later, when an entire army risked their lives to save him from the rebellion of his son Absalom, he did not come out to welcome and celebrate them for what they did. He did not even think of giving God an offering for them. Instead, he stayed indoors to mourn his dead son, Absalom. And that was why, as we see in our opening text, Joab, the commander of his army, told him to his face that he was being ungrateful.

As Joab pointed out to him, instead of looking at the invaluable sacrifice his men made for him, his family and his dynasty, he was brooding over the loss a rebellious son that brought death on himself. He went on to tell him that if he failed to pull himself together and speak encouraging words to the men that sacrificed their lives for his safety, he would soon lose all of them along with his throne.

What is the point of all this? It is that there are times that we (all of us) also act like David and undermine the significance of what people are doing for us or have done for us. It is not that we don’t appreciate them at all. But we don’t appreciate them enough to show it. And that may be because we are looking at the face value of what they have done for us or given to us. Or it may be because we think they are more than capable of doing for us what they have done for us or of giving to us what they have given to us.

But people’s act of kindness or generosity are not to be treated by us like that. Instead, they are to be treated with consideration and thoughtfulness. In other words, we must always look beyond what we are receiving to what has accomplished it. What we are receiving may be free. But that does not mean it is cheap. And even if what we are receiving is free and cheap, it does not mean that the effort that made it available to us is cheap.

Why does our Lord say that He is going to reward anyone that gives any of His people just a cup of cold water to drink? Is it because a cup of water is expensive? No! A cup of water can be gotten free, even from strangers, in most cases, unless there is a drought where we are. However, even though a cup of water can be gotten from almost anybody for free, the effort that produces it is never cheap. (Cf. Matt 10:42)

Someone, for instance, fetched the water from which that cup of it that you are receiving is taken. Some people dug the well or sank the borehole where it was gotten. Somebody paid for the services of those who sank the bore hole. Somebody bought the equipment they used in sinking the borehole. Somebody also bought the cup you are going to drink from. Someone equally washed the cup and someone paid for the soap being used to wash it. Do you want me to continue to list the things involved for you? I am sure you don’t, for you will soon find it boring.

My point, at any rate, is that even if it is a cup of water someone has freely brought to you, appreciate the person for it. It may not satisfy you fully. Yet appreciate the one who has brought it to you profusely instead of allowing your emotions to get in the way. That is because the cost of everything you receive from people is always beyond what meets the eyes. Efforts beyond your imaginations have gone into the process.

So, before you open your mouth to say to anyone, “Is that all you can do for me?” or “If I were in your position, I would do more than this,” consider these things carefully. And don’t let the spirit of ingratitude rule you. Otherwise, it may not be long at all before you lose the devotion or help of most, if not all, of the good people in your life.

All this, however, is not an excuse for you to be stingy and doing for others less than you can. I mean that you should not use what I am saying here as your excuse for being stingy or for often running away from making sacrifices for others. God is watching you, if you are like that. And He will surely reward you accordingly. So, watch it.

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Hearts always going astray By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: March 01, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 42

“So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.'”” (Heb 3:7-11NIV)

What was the problem God had with the children of Israel that Moses brought out of Egypt, as we see in our opening text? It was that their hearts were always going astray. What does that mean? Well, it means that they were not consistent and faithful in trusting God and in following Him.

Now was is that God gave these people a reason not to be consistent in trusting Him and yielding to Him? No! On the contrary, everything He did for them was done to give them no room to doubt His faithfulness in taking care of them and leading them to the place of rest He had prepared for them.

Nonetheless, as the Spirit of God points out in our opening text, these Israelites would not utterly commit their hearts to following Him, despite all the miracles and signs that He performed for their salvation and prosperity. Instead, each time they faced a new challenge or problem, their hearts would immediately go astray. And they would be ready to grumble against Him and to turn their backs on Him.

Therefore, at some point, He got tired of their grumbling and unfaithfulness and swore that they would not enter the place of rest He had prepared for them. And did they enter it? No, they didn’t. Instead, they perished in the wilderness.

Now we are too are being warned by the Spirit of God not to be like these Israelites in our walk with God. Yes, as long as we are in this world, we cannot run away from challenges. In fact, our Lord’s own words about this are: “…In this world you will have trouble…” So, we should not consider it strange or unusual when we are confronted with diverse trials and challenges in this world. These things are to be expected. (Cf. John 16:33)

But then, in the same breath that the Lord says that we will encounter trouble in this world, He also tells us to cheer up. Why? It is because He has overcome the world for us. And as long as we put our trust in Him, He will make sure we have His peace and rest in our lives, regardless of what challenges we are faced with where we are.

So, instead of losing our mind when we are confronted with any challenge and allowing our heart to turn away from God, we should begin to remind ourselves of all the good things He has done for us in the past, which are actually uncountable. Then our hearts will be strengthened to trust Him again and again. But if we allow ourselves to forget that He has always been good to us and start talking nonsense or turning to the wisdom of men, simply because we are confronted with some challenge that seems overwhelming to us, we may just miss the experience of His rest and victory that could have been ours.

Similarly, in our relationships with men, we also need to learn to be faithful to those who have a record of being good to us or of taking good care of us. Yes, there may be times in which circumstances of life may limit them or prevent them from caring for us as they used to do or as they would love to do. Yet we must remain faithful to them. In fact, we must demonstrate compassion towards them at such times and consider ways to be of help to them.

But if we begin to abuse or threaten those who have been good to us or if we abandon them because of certain challenges they are facing that make it difficult or impossible for them to care for us as they used to do, we will be acting just like those Israelites of old that turned away from God any time things did not go smoothly for them. And where that is the case, there is every tendency that we will miss whatever rest or comfort God might have used them to bring to us in the future, when their lives and fortunes are restored.

Therefore, watch yourself.

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Encourage them|By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: February 22, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 41

“Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the service of the LORD. For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered fellowship offerings and praised the LORD, the God of their fathers.” (2Chron 30:22NIV)

As we see in the bible, that is, under the old covenant, it was the duty of the Levites and their priests to learn and understand the written will of God about how He was to be served and worshipped. That way, they would be able to lead the whole nation of Israel to serve God faithfully and stay away from unclean and impure things. (Cf. Ezek 44:15-31; Malach 2:7)

But as we also see in the bible, it was not every generation of these Levites and priests that demonstrated understanding and faithfulness in handling the worship of God. To say the fact, most of their generations did not handle the service of God truthfully at all. Therefore, we have several prophets of God condemning them and pronouncing God’s judgment on them.

For example, we are introduced to the sons of Eli in 1Samuel and told how they were nothing but sons of the devil, even though they were the leading priests in the land. So, God had to ruthlessly judge them and their descendants after them. Also, we have God expressing His displeasure towards the ways of the priests of the time of Malachi. Look at how this is set forth in the bible:

“And now this admonition is for you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name,” says the LORD Almighty, “I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me. “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will spread on your faces the offal from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. And you will know that I have sent you this admonition so that my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the LORD Almighty.” (Mal 2:1-4NIV)

Did you see that? God had no word of praise for those priests at all. And that was because they were corrupt and would not serve His purpose for choosing them. In other words, instead of leading the people in the true worship of God, they were misleading them and getting them into trouble.

Since the nation of Israel, then, had a history of having corrupt and irresponsible priests and Levites, what should be the response of the people, if they suddenly stumbled upon an upright priest? It should be a response of gratitude to God and encouragement to such a priest.

Now that is what we see Hezekiah demonstrating in our opening bible text. This king was leading a spiritual reformation and restoration in the land at that time. So, he needed all the spiritual help he could get. And given the history of corruption of the priests and Levites in the land, he must have been surprised to find that there were still certain priests that understood how God was to be served and that were also devoted to serving Him accordingly. So, the least he could do was to speak encouraging and kind words to those priests. That way, they would be inspired to do better and better in their service to God and to His people who had abandoned Him for years.

In like manner, any time we see people in our land who are devoted to doing what is right and to maintaining justice where they are, we should do all we can to encourage them instead of discouraging them. We know what our country looks like today. We know that it is hard to find in our neighbourhoods, schools, government offices and business centres people who are upright in heart, diligent and trustworthy.

Therefore, anytime we come across anyone who has these qualities, anytime we come across anyone who has refused to be corrupted and made irresponsible by sick our society, we, like Hezekiah, should do whatever we can to encourage them. That is how to strengthen goodness and righteousness in our world.

Interestingly, Paul admonishes us to do similar things in the church. He tells us that wherever we see church leaders that are doing well in feeding us with the word of God and leading us in His will, we should doubly honour them. Why? It is because such leaders are hard to come by. (Cf. 1Tim 5:17)

As the bible shows us, even in the days of the apostles of old, there were so many so-called church leaders that were greedy, corrupt and irresponsible. Therefore, Paul wanted the brethren to know that they must learn to encourage the upright and faithful leaders among them. Otherwise, Satan may, at some point, get these also to lose heart and start imitating the greedy, immoral, manipulative and injurious church leaders around them. (Cf. Phil 3:17-19; 2Peter 2:1-3)

The point I am making, at any rate, is that we all who love righteousness must learn to appreciate it in others. Then we can strengthen it in our world instead of weakening it.