Category: Youth for Jesus

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Our attitude means a lot

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 3

“But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place.”” (Judg 7:4-7NIV)

Who told Gideon that the men with him were too many? It was God. But how many were these men that God referred to as ‘too many’? They were just ten thousand. And these ten thousand men were supposed to go with Gideon in fighting the armies of the Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern people of the time, armies that the bible describes as ‘impossible to count’. Yet the Lord said of these ten thousand men, “There are still too many men.” (Cf. Judg 6:5)

Now that must have sounded ridiculous to Gideon. That was because, as we see in the account, he had just sent twenty-two thousand men home because God had said that he should do so. But God did not ask him to send those men home for no reason. He asked him to send them home because they were already trembling with fear. In fact, they themselves were willing to go home. So, they really could not have contributed much to the success of Gideon’s army, even if they had stayed. On the contrary, they would have been liabilities to him, making him to feed them for contributing nothing. (Cf. Judg 7:1-3)

But then, when this man was about getting ready to go to battle with the ten thousand men left with him, as ridiculous as doing so seemed, God spoke up again and said that the men with him were still too many. “What? God, are you really serious about this?” he must have said to himself. And God was indeed serious this time too. He was not telling him that the men with him were still too many just for the fun of it. He was telling him so because those men were actually too many for the job to be done. That means there were many among them that would add nothing to the success of his army – they were just numbers.

Well, to prove to Gideon that the ten thousand men with him were too many for the battle ahead of him, God told him to subject them to a test of attitude. Sadly, only three hundred of these men passed that test. Others failed. Why did they fail? They failed because they had no attitude or culture of vigilance.

As we see in our opening bible text, what God used in judging the fitness and readiness of these men of Gideon for battle was the way they drank water. Three hundred of them drank water with vigilance, with the consciousness that they were at the battle front and should be ready all the time for the attack of their enemies. But the remaining nine thousand and seven hundred men settled down at the stream to drink water as though nothing was at stake. So, God rejected them and asked Gideon to send them home. And he obeyed.

Now did this man of God regret sending those people home? No, he did not regret it at all. Instead, he went on to overcome all his enemies with the three hundred vigilant and serious-minded men with him. That, of course, means that he did not need more than those three hundred men for success in that battle. Any additional person to their number, then, would have been nothing but a liability, excess luggage.What is the point of all this, in any case? The first is that our trust must always be in God and not in number or population. Number can fail us. But God can never fail us.

Also, it is not every time that more people will equal more success. So, for every project we are handling, we should be certain that it is only those that will contribute immensely to its success that we bring in. Otherwise, we may find ourselves spending much more than necessary in accomplishing our desired results.

The second lesson from the account is that our attitude towards the things of life means a lot to God. The way we sit, stand, walk, sleep, eat, drink, talk, listen and even look at things matters to Him. And we too should let it matter to us. Otherwise, there are certain truths He may never reveal to us, just as there are certain assignments or positions of greatness that He may never consider us for.

So, when He, directly or through others, is drawing your attention to certain attitudes or habits you need to drop or change, you had better listen and act fast. Or else, you may be disqualified from being a part of the celebration of certain victories in this life and in God’s heavenly kingdom.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Choosing Abimelech

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 2

“When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech used it to hire reckless adventurers, who became his followers.” (Judg 9:3-5NIV)

Who was Abimelech, the one mentioned in our opening text? He was the son that Gideon’s concubine bore for him. And what was so important about him that God cared to put his account in the bible for us? It was the fact that he was the first man to ever attempt to rule as king over the nation of Israel. (Cf. Judges 9:6)

Now, as we also see in the bible, when the people wanted Abimelech’s father, Gideon, to become their king, he frankly and humbly rejected their proposition. Look at how the bible puts that: “But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.”” (Judg 8:23-24NIV)

Did you see that? This man said that neither he nor any of his sons would be king over these people. Why? The reason was that he knew that the Lord is their king. Yes, he saved them from their enemies. But that was because the Lord called, sent and empowered him to do so. So, he knew that it would be foolish of him to try to take the place of God in their lives as their king. And even though he had seventy legitimate sons, none of them attempted to be king over the Israelites. Why? He had raised them well enough to know their place in the lives of the people. (Cf. Judges 6-8)

In like manner, we too must know our proper place in people’s lives. God may have used us or be using us to help them in various ways. That, however, does not make us God. We should, therefore, never attempt to take His place in anyone’s life. Otherwise, sooner or later, we will surely find ourselves facing challenges never meant for us in life. We may even end up undoing all the good God has used us to do.

So, let us be mindful of ourselves.In any case, as I pointed out before, Gideon had another son called Abimelech, the son of his concubine. And apparently, this son of his was not raised by him as others had been raised. That, of course, must have been the reason the thought of using his father’s legacy as a leverage to become king over Israel could enter his head. Unfortunately, the people of his mother’s side welcomed the idea and gave him a lot of money to hire ruthless men to accomplish his ambition.

Why? Well, as we see in our opening text, their reason was that he was related to them. In other words, he was their relative.So, the people of Shechem did not choose Abimelech as their leader because he was an upright, wise and godly man, one that righteous people could flourish under his leadership. Instead, they chose him because he was their relative. And because they did, a scoundrel was empowered to destroy all his father’s seventy sons (except his youngest son that escaped) and also all the good works God has used him to do for his nation.

Then, much later, he too and his sponsors went on to destroy themselves. What a pity! (Cf. Judges 9)What is the point of all this, at any rate? It is that we need to learn to choose our leaders for the right reasons. Someone may be our relative, a friend, a neighbour, a colleague at work or in school or a church leader. It does not mean that they have the right qualities to occupy certain leadership positions.

And if we should allow sentiments to lead us to choose and sponsor them to occupy a position that they have no ability or character to handle, we may someday realise that we have chosen Abimelech and empowered the devil himself to afflict and destroy much good. Then, like Abimelech and the people of Shechem, we too and the bad choice of leadership we have made may end up labouring hard to destroy ourselves.

Now would something like that not be bad and distressing? It would! But it is something that is happening in many places all around the world, even today. People and the leaders they have chosen for themselves are cursing themselves and also labouring hard to destroy themselves. And if we want to put a stop to a repetition of such mess, we had better stop allowing sentiments to drive us to choose Abimelech.

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

It is simply a joke

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 1

“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” (James 1:26NIV)

Who is James talking to in our opening text? He is talking to those who consider themselves to be religious. And do we have people who think of themselves as religious? We do! Yes, we have people who see themselves as men and women who know God, love God, worship God and have God’s ears.

Now is anything wrong with seeing ourselves in that light? Well, James does not say that something is wrong with seeing ourselves as those who know God, who know where He lives and who also know what He eats. But he tells us that this view of ourselves ought to have some serious impact on what comes out of our mouths. Otherwise, we are simply lying to ourselves about knowing God and worshiping Him. That means our religion is worthless.

Sadly, we have many today who think of themselves as God’s deputies but who exercise no control whatsoever over what comes out of their mouths. These ones say anything that comes to their minds, without weighing it to see whether it is good or bad or whether it honours God or dishonours Him. And if anyone tries to correct them or to show them that they are supposed to be talking like those who know God and not like little devils, they will not be slow at all to abuse or curse the person as well.

Now perhaps you are like that. You can abuse or curse anyone and anything. You can even get the dead to be stirred up in their graves through your abusive words. Yet you call yourself a Christian or a child of God. The word of God is coming to you now and telling you that you are self-deceived. Truly, you may think that you know God and are serving Him.

But you are simply a joker. Your religion is worthless. In other words, what you are doing in your worship of God makes no sense to Him at all. And that is because your so-called relationship with Him has not yet changed you.See, when a man comes into a relationship with God, the first obvious change that will be seen in his life has to do with the way he talks. He will no longer want to speak carelessly or loosely. Instead, he will want to speak love and grace.

Yes, this may initially prove difficult for him to do, especially if he has been a loose talker all his life. But he will begin to make effort by the power of the Spirit of God in him to speak differently. Yes, he will begin to make effort to show through his words that he is no longer a sinner. And if he continues like that and does not stop, it will not be long before he realises that loose taking is no longer an option for him.

So, if you are still loose in the way you talk, if nothing appears to be too corrupt or unclean for you to say with your mouth, you are either saying that you don’t know God at all or have utterly forgotten that you have been saved by Him. And it does not matter what religious title or titles you carry around on your head, your religion is worthless – it is simply a joke.If you, then, do not want your religion to remain a joke, you have to begin to put a tight rein on your tongue.

That means you have to now begin to teach your tongue not to say just anything that comes to your mind. Yes, impure, corrupt and hurtful things may still want to come out of your mouth. But you must not allow them to come out of it, for your tongue is meant to speak only those things that glorify God and also edify men, not things that dishonour them.

My prayer is that you will daily find in God all the strength you need to keep these words in mind and to also begin to put them to work in your life and affairs. Amen.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Demonic activities are real – J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 7, No. 52

“Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.” (Rev 16:13-14NIV)

What we see in our opening text is a little part of the revelation of Jesus given to John the Apostle. And from what we see in the revelation, a time will come when the rulers of this world will come together to battle against the Lord. And does that not sound ridiculous? Does it not sound ridiculous that people would think of waging war against God?

Well, it does sound ridiculous that people would think of doing that. But it is going to happen, just as our Lord made it known to John. And the reason it is going to happen is that certain demons will move them to do so when the time is ripe. As we see in our opening text, these evil spirits will go out and gather the world rulers of the time to wage war against God.

Now how will these demons go about doing that? We are not told this in obvious terms in the text. But it is clear that they will do so by speaking to the minds of these rulers and urging them to do what they want. We have a similar example in the bible story of the death of King Ahab.

As the account goes, it was an unclean spirit that became a lying spirit in the mouths of the prophets of this king, just to deceive and lure him to his death. And interestingly, this lying spirit succeeded in moving about four hundred prophets to tell the same lie on the same day and at the same time. (Cf. 1Kings 22; 2Chro 18)

So, demonic activities are real. And that many all around the world who do not believe in them does not change the fact that they are real and happening everyday. What we are saying is that there are times that people act the way they act because certain demons are moving or driving them.For instance, why are beer parlous, night parties and brothels (houses of prostitution) often filled with all kinds of people, high and low, rich and poor, educated and uneducated? The reason is that there are demons that gather them to fill these places.

Also, why do we sometimes witness horrible riots, mob attacks and genocides? The reason is that there are demons that gather and drive people to do these things. And just as they are able to move a crowd to do dangerous and unthinkable things, they are also able to move individuals to do stupid, silly and destructive things to themselves and to others.

So, when someone or people are acting crazy and doing destructive things to themselves or to others, you should know that some demons may be responsible for their actions. You should have compassion on them, then, and pray for their deliverance, instead of condemning them to hell. Otherwise, they may go from bad to worse and make the world more unbearable for all of us to live in.

Also, we need to be utterly given to the word of God and prayer, so that we too will not be tools of demonic activities. Remember that, as devoted as David was to God, Satan was still able to use him to take certain foolish steps that brought trouble on his nation. Remember also that even though Judas Iscariot did everything with the Lord Jesus, as a disciple and friend, Satan still succeeded in using him to hand Him over to His enemies. (Cf. 1Chro 21; John 13:2&27)

So, any of us can be moved, driven and used by the devil or any of his demons to do unthinkable and destructive things, if we will not give ourselves to living by the word of God and praying to frustrate satanic activities where we are. My prayer is that you will never again be available as a tool to be used by the devil or any of his demons, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Two years later_J.O.Lawal

Recommended Citation

Lawal, J. O. (2025, April 30). We can change God’s mind (Vol. 7, No. 51). Youth for Jesus.

Senior Pastor Alaythia Bible Church

“Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king’s sons to come there. Absalom went to the king and said, Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his officials please join me?”” (2Sam 13:23-24NIV)

Why did Absalom invite all the king’s sons to a feast on the occasion mentioned in our opening bible text? Was it because he really cared about them and wanted to share some love with them? No! Rather, it was to have an opportunity to murder Amnon, their eldest brother.

Now why did he want to murder Amnon? It was because he had raped their sister, Tamar. But the matter had already been settled in some way by David their father. Why, then, did Absalom still want to punish Amnon with death for what he did? It was because he did not have a forgiving spirit like David.

Truly, it does not seem like David and his officials handled that rape case well. That is because we are not told in the account that Amnon was given any serious punishment for what he did, if he was punished at all. In any case, everyone else in some way believed that the matter had been laid to rest and should be treated as such. So, Absalom also should have treated it accordingly.

But he did not. Instead, he pretended that he too had dropped the matter and moved on. But two years later, as we see in our opening text, Absalom struck. He killed his brother when no one was suspecting. And that was the beginning of his own end as well.

Now what lesson is there in this for us? First, it is that we should take the word of God that tells us to do only good and not evil to people seriously. Otherwise, we may end up hurting people that will never forgive us for hurting them, regardless of what we or others do to appease them. And they will never forgive us because they do not have the fear of God in them at all or because they do not believe in God’s message of forgiveness. Therefore, they may go to any extent to punish us for our sins against them. And unless God saves us from them, we will not be safe at all, even two or twenty years after we have hurt them. (Cf. Psalm 34:11-14; 1Pet 3:10-11)

Another lesson for us in this is that if we refuse to forgive those who have hurt us, as God has told us to do, we are giving room for all kinds of dangerous and murderous thoughts to fill our hearts. The reason murderous thoughts entered Absalom’s heart and filled it was that he refused to forgive his brother, Amnon. And those murderous thoughts did not leave him until the murder of his brother was executed. (Cf. Eph 5:32)

In like manner, if we too refuse to forgive others, all sorts of dangerous thoughts may fill our hearts, as I pointed out before. And what these thoughts will do to us, even years after we have been hurt and have refused to be healed by God, may surprise us. Then we may find ourselves becoming worse than those who hurt us.

So, if you have been hurt in any way, forgive those who are involved and allow God to heal you. That way, you will not end up becoming worse than the evil you are trying to punish.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Behave yourself wisely | Johnson Lawal

Recommended Citation: Lawal, J. O. (2025, April 16). Behave yourself wisely (Vol. 7, No. 48). Youth for Jesus.

“So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.” (1Sam 18:5NKJV)

What are we told here about David? It is that he behaved himself wisely in handling all the things King Saul sent him to do. In other words, he conducted himself in such a way that even though he was very young at the time, he had the respect of Saul, the army officers and also the troops. So, when he was given a high rank in the army, everybody loved it. Nobody thought that he was overrated. Instead, they saw it as something he deserved.

In like manner, we too must learn to behave ourselves wisely wherever we find ourselves. We must learn to take advantage of the wisdom of God in us to win the respect of those around us, whether we are living together, working together or studying together. And we can do this by showing seriousness in all that we do and say, by giving appropriate honour to everyone, by staying out of other people’s business and by making ourselves helpful and useful to others whenever they need us. And if this is the way we are functioning, people will be glad to see us elevated and honoured in life.

Paul says something along these lines to Timothy. He says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1Tim 4:12NIV) What does this apostle mean by this? First, let us look at what he does not mean. He does not mean that Timothy should go around talking rudely to anyone that tries to disrespect him because he is young. Doing that would be very silly and arrogant of him. In fact, doing that would make people look down on him all the more.

What, then, does Paul mean? Well, he means that Timothy should behave himself so wisely that nobody would use his being young as an excuse for disrespecting him. That, of course, is why he goes on to tell him to be an example to other believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. And as he does this, everyone would give him the respect that he deserves as a man of God.

Now we too should pay attention to how we behave where we live, study or work. People won’t give us adequate and appropriate respect simply because we bear some titles or because we are rich or because we are highly educated. Rather, they will do so because we know how to behave ourselves wisely. And if we should fail to learn to behave ourselves wisely, we may lose more than the respect and honour of others. We may also lose those things that are giving us pride in life.

Remember Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant. She was given an unspeakable privilege of sharing her mistress’ husband, even though it was something contrary to the purpose of God for those involved. And if she had behaved herself wisely in that situation, she would have enjoyed her mistress, Sarah, for the rest of her life. But she did not behave herself wisely but foolishly. When she got pregnant, she began to despise her Sarah, thinking that she had become the apple of Abraham’s eye. (Cf. Gen 16)

But soon enough, she saw that she was wrong. She saw that she could never take Sarah’s place in Abraham’s heart, even though she was carrying the man’s pregnancy. But she already lost whatever love and respect Sarah and others had for her in that home. And though she later humbled herself, all the remaining years she spent there were years of misery and pains.

You can, then, see that we may never win certain people’s respect or love back once we lose it. So, in all your dealings with people, always conduct yourself in such a way that you will continually earn their respect. And may God daily strength you to do so. Amen.

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

fmb_Strengthen my hands_J.O._Lawal

Recommended Citation:

Lawal, J. O. (2025, April 9). Strengthen my hands. Youth for Jesus, 7(47).

“They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” [But I prayed,] “Now strengthen my hands.”” (Neh 6:9NIV)

Who said these words? It was Nehemiah. And who was Nehemiah? Nehemiah was the governor of the land of Judah that God used in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem after the people had returned from exile.

Now though this man was a governor at the time he said these words, a governor that was righteous and also highly connected to Emperor Artaxerxes, he still found himself in a situation where certain individuals tried to frighten and weaken him. Why? They wanted him to abandon the good work he was doing, the good work of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and also seeing to the welfare of his people.

So, it is not only those who are poor, weak and lowly in life that face threats to weaken or render them useless in life. The rich, powerful and influential also face these things. Yes, they too sometimes find themselves in situations where they are being harassed, oppressed or threatened, so that they may not fulfil the desires of their hearts. And in such situations, their wealth, power and influence may not be able to help them. That, of course, is sometimes the reason some good people end up becoming useless or unprofitable leaders. The forces they have to contend with in the positions they find themselves are just too much for them to handle.

Well, as we see in our opening text, at some point, Nehemiah too found himself being harassed and threatened by the enemies of his people, so that he would be too weak to do anything good for his land as governor. But this man would not surrender to fear and stop the good work he was doing. Instead, he decided to pray to God.

Why did Nehemiah choose to pray to God, when he was being harassed and threatened? It was because he knew that only God could make him succeed under the circumstances he had found himself. Yes, he was rich, powerful and influential. But he also knew that wealth, power and influence could fail and have failed times without number. Only God never fails. So, he chose to pray to Him.

Now what was his prayer? It was very simple. It was that God would strengthen his hands. In other words, he wanted God to give him all the encouragement, strength, boldness, wisdom, determination, protection and resources he would need to finish the good work he was doing. And did God answer him or not? He did, for he finished the good work he started in record time and with excellence. So, all his enemies were put to shame. (Cf. Neh 6:15-16)

In like manner, if you too are faced with people or situations that are threatening to stop or hinder you from doing whatever good and righteous thing you have in mind or are up to, don’t be surprised. And don’t start saying, “God, why me?” You will not be the first person to experience that. Also, you surely won’t be the last person to experience it, as long as this earth remains.

So, instead of getting worried or losing your mind because certain people or circumstances are trying to frighten you and stop you from doing whatever good thing you want to do, just pray to God as Nehemiah did. Yes, pray to Him, saying, “Strengthen my hands, my God.” And He will answer you and furnish you with all the strength, wisdom, protection, courage, people, resources and encouragement you need to succeed. Then all those who are against you will be put to shame, when they see that what you have done has been done by the power of the living God.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

fmb_Love is not always in a hurry_J.O._Lawal

Recommended Citation:

Lawal, J. O. (2025, April 2). Love is not always in a hurry. Youth for Jesus, 7(46).

“Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.” (John 11:5-6NIV)

When you love someone, how do you treat anything that concerns them? You treat it with all the seriousness it requires. But that does not seem to be what we see in our opening text. As we see in it, Jesus loved Lazarus, Martha and their sister, Mary. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days.

Now that did not look like an expression of love, or did it? No, it did not. If He had loved Lazarus indeed, then, He would have been in a hurry to get to him before he died. But He did not do that. Instead, He waited until the man had been in the tomb four days before He went to raise him up from the dead. And that made everything look like He deliberately used Lazarus’ misery to promote His own glory.

But was it really like that? No, it was not like that. As the account shows us, even though Jesus waited two more days where He was when He heard that Lazarus was sick, the man was already lying in the tomb four days by the time He got to his town. That would mean that it took the messenger that had brought Him the news at least one day to get Him, just as it took Him at least one day to get to Lazarus’ place. Judging by that, Lazarus had already died by the time the man that brought Jesus news of his illness got to Him.

More so, Jesus Himself later plainly told His disciples that Lazarus was dead, that is, before they all left for his place (John 11:14). How did He know that? It was by divine revelation. So, Jesus did not wait two more days where He was because He wanted Lazarus to die before He would go and see him. Rather, He waited that way because He knew that the man was already dead and there was no need to be in a rush to go and raise him up.

But then, He could still have left immediately to raise Lazarus from the dead. And if He had done that, Lazarus’ sisters and their people would not have had to mourn him as much as they did. But He did not do that. Instead, He waited two more days before going to see him. Why?

Well, in answering that, first, Jesus was not in a hurry to go and raise Lazarus from the dead because He knew that the power of God could not be hindered by time or decay. So, regardless of when He got to where Lazarus was, the power of God would still work in bringing the man back to life.

Second, if Jesus had immediately gone to raise Lazarus up from the dead, his family and others with them may not have appreciated the awesomeness of God’s power as they did when He raised him up when his body was already decaying and smelling. In fact, some people may even have said that the reason it was easy for Him to bring him back to life was that Lazarus merely fainted or went into a coma for a while. And that way, they would have dismissed any involvement of the mighty power of God in what happened to him.

But Jesus would not make it easy for anyone to dismiss the awesomeness of God’s power as nothing. So, even though He loved Lazarus and his sisters very much, He handled the bringing back of the man from death to life in such a way that everyone who got to know about it would appreciate it and glorify God for it. And that is showing us that true love is not always in a hurry to help or solve problems. Rather, it is always thoughtful enough to handle whatever it does to help others in such a way that it will be adequately and appropriately appreciated.

Unfortunately, many of us know nothing about this quality of love. Therefore, we are often in a hurry to express our love to people anyhow, instead of acting in thoughtfulness in expressing it. But there are times that love needs to let people appreciate the enormousness of their problems in order for them to also appreciate the solution that it offers them. Otherwise, they may just treat an invaluable gift of love as something ordinary or common. And where that is the case, love may be wounded, paralysed or killed. That explains why some people now find it hard to act in love towards anyone. Their love was wounded, paralysed or killed by some who should have appreciated it.

Well, if you don’t want that to happen to your love for anybody, don’t always make something difficult look easy, just because you can do it. And don’t always make something expensive look cheap, just because you can afford it. Then learn to let people see the need for them to be helped before stepping in to help. Otherwise, you may just make your love or acts of love look like nothing to individuals who have difficulties recognising genuine love.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

A gift or a curse_J.O._Lawal

Recommended Citation

Lawal, J. O. (2025, March 26). A gift or a curse. Youth for Jesus, 7(46).

“The man said, “The woman you put here with me — she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”” (Gen 3:12NIV)

Those were Adam’s words to God, when He asked him if he had eaten the forbidden fruit. And his words showed that he, after his fall, no longer saw Eve as a gift of blessing to him from God but as a curse.

But from what we see in the bible, when God first brought Eve to him, he brought her to be a blessing to him and not a curse. In fact, before God brought her to him, He had said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” So, God never intended that Eve would be a curse or a problem to Adam. On the contrary, all He had wanted was for her to be a blessing to him in all ways, so that life would be easier and more enjoyable for him. (Cf. Gen 2:18)

More so, when God brought Eve to him, he himself could not hide his joy. He said, “”This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, for she was taken out of man.” So he was truly happy to have her. And he was not ashamed of her or to be around her, even though they were both naked. (Cf. Gen 2:23-25)

It is surprising, then, that this same man could freely blame God for bringing Eve to him, just because she was instrumental to his fall. Yes, it was God that brought Eve to him. But as I said already, He brought her to him only to make life easier and more enjoyable for him, not for her to be a trap for Satan to catch him. If she, then, became a curse to him, if she became the reason he fell away from the grace of God, who was to blame.

Evidently, Adam himself was to blame for what became of the gift of God to him. At least, from what we see in the account, he was right there when Satan deceived Eve and made her eat the forbidden fruit. And what did he do to stop her? Nothing! He just stood there and watched, as the woman was being messed up by the devil. Not only that, he took the fruit from her hand and ate it, showing that he approved of what she did. (Cf. Gen 3:1-7)

How, then, was he able to freely accuse God of being indirectly responsible for his fall, when he could have prevented what happened from happening? Did God make the woman head over him when He brought her to him? No! Did God say that he could not teach, rebuke or correct the woman, if she ever missed it? No! Why, then, did he not check the woman when she was being deceived by the serpent? Why did he not step into the situation to protect her from Satan’s lies?

Well, we are not given answers to these questions in the account. But we do know from the account that God judged Adam for listening to the voice of his wife instead of rebuking her and also protecting her from the devil. Yes, God judged him for taking the word of His gift to him more seriously than His own commands to him. (Cf. Gen 3:17-19)

Very similarly, as we see in the bible, God judged Eli and his household because he allowed his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to become a curse to him and the nation of Israel. These sons were given to him by God Himself as gifts of comfort, as gifts to perpetuate his family line. But he allowed them to become a curse by not dealing with their excesses and wickedness, showing that he valued the gifts more than the giver. So, God told him that He would punish his household because he honoured his sons more than him. (Cf. 1Sam 2-4)

Now what is all this teaching us? It is that we are to pay attention to how we relate to any gift God has given to us in life. That God is the one that has given something to us as a gift does not mean that thing cannot become a curse or a problem to us. If we would not relate to it with the wisdom of the Spirit and also with caution, it may end up becoming the reason we will fall or fail God.

So, don’t assume that God’s gifts of things or people to you will always automatically be a blessing to you. They may just become a curse to your life, if you won’t learn to relate to them according to the wisdom of the Spirit given through the word of God. And you won’t relate to them according to the wisdom of God’s Spirit, if you value or cherish them more than God Himself who has given them to you. So, watch yourself.

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Cursing the Deaf_Lawal_J.0

Recommended Citation

Lawal, J. O. (2025, March 12). Cursing the deaf. Youth for Jesus, 7(44).

“Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD.” (Lev 19:14NIV)

What point is God making by saying to us the things we have in our opening text? It is that we are not to use the weaknesses or handicaps of others to exploit or hurt them. Doing so, as He further points out, can only show that we do not fear Him.

Now, of course, we may say, “I can never do that. I can never curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block in front of a blind person.” But any time we are using someone’s ignorance, weakness or position of disadvantage in life to exploit or hurt them, that is exactly what we are doing. We are cursing the deaf. We are putting a stumbling block in front of the blind.

For instance, a pastor that I once knew was transferred to replace another pastor in a chapter of their assembly. And the first thing he did when he got to that assembly was to reduce the stipends being given to all the staff he met there. Why? Well, his reason was that they were performing far below what they were being given.

But what those people were being given at the time for what they were doing was quite little, compared to what most graduates like them were earning. Yet this man did not care at all. He just did what he felt that he had to do.
Now was he not afraid that those staff members may resign and leave? No, he was not. Why was he not afraid? First, he was not afraid because he knew that those staff members had put in some years of their lives into serving that church, years that they could have used in building some careers, furthering their studies or building some businesses. So, leaving the church office like that would be like starting all over again. It would, then, take a very bold and daring person to do so.

Second, that man was not afraid that his staff would leave because he was aware that most of them, if not all of them, came to work in the church office because they believed that God wanted them to be there to serve Him. So, he judged that they would not want him to start telling the church members that the reason they left was that they were unwilling to make sacrifices for God. And did he judge right or not? He did.

In fact, none of those staff members left at the time. Instead, they all stayed to justify the fact that they were not working for God because of money but because they loved Him. But were they happy to stay? No! What, then, can we say that the man did to them? He used their situation, their sense of commitment to God, to exploit them. And that is nothing but cursing the deaf and putting a stumbling block in the way of the blind.

Now there are several other things that we too can do that will amount to cursing the deaf or putting a stumbling block in the way of the blind. For instance, people will know that the price of an article has gone terribly up. Yet they will go to someone who doesn’t know and buy everything they have from them at the old price, instead of telling them that the price had changed. And too often, it is their own customers that do this to them. So, the person ends us suffering some losses that could have been avoided. What is that? it is cursing the deaf and putting a stumbling block in the way of the blind.

What about those who take advantage of those who come to them for help in dealing with sexual abuse or sexual sins? They are cursing the deaf and putting a stumbling block in the way of the blind. How? They are well aware of the weakness of those coming to them. They already know that they cannot help themselves in their situation. Yet they mess them up while claiming to be offering them help. Are they not cursing the deaf and putting a stumbling block in the way of the blind? They are!

In any case, the word of God tells us that a lack of the fear of God is what will make us do such things. That, then, means there will surely be consequences. So, if there is any way in which you are using people’s ignorance, handicaps, weaknesses or position of disadvantage to exploit, harass or hurt them, you need to repent before it is too late. That is because God is watching you. And He will pay you back in full for whatever you do, good or bad. So, mind yourself.

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)