Category: General Post

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General Post

He gives the increase | By: Johnson O. Lawal | Date: January 01, 2025 | Series: New Year Sermon

I want to welcome you once again for the new year and I pray that all God’s good intentions for the year for you will be fully accomplished, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now if you have been in this assembly for a while, you will know that you shouldn’t expect me to say that this year will be a year of ‘so and so’ for you. That is because the year can be anything you desire it to be for you, as long as you put your trust in God. The bible says all things are possible for the one who believes (Mark 9:23). So, whatever you can believe God to make the year be for you, that is what He will make it be for you, as long as it is consistent with His will.

In any case, I want to share some things with you that I know will help you to increase tremendously in fruitfulness and usefulness in God’s hand this new year. And I am taking them from 1Corinthians, chapter 3. It says from verse 6:

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow.” (1Corinthians 3:6-7NIV)

Here Paul is showing us certain conditions that must be met, if we, as God’s children, will increase in fruitfulness and usefulness in life. And from what he says, we can see that we have our own duties in experiencing fruitfulness and usefulness in life. God will not perform these duties for us, if we will not perform them. So, we need to know what these duties of ours are and give ourselves to performing them. Otherwise, we will not increase in fruitfulness or usefulness in life.

Then God also has His own duties, which He must perform for us to increase in fruitfulness and usefulness in life. We cannot perform these duties for Him. So, if He does not perform them, there is no amount of effort we make towards increase in fruitfulness and usefulness in life that will amount to anything.

Now what must we do, if we want to increase in fruitfulness and usefulness in life? According to what Paul tells us in that text, we, like farmers, must be involved in planting and watering, if we must increase in fruitfulness and usefulness in life. So, if you want to increase in fruitfulness and usefulness in every area of your life this year, you must be involved in planting and watering.

See, the one who does not plant ought not to expect to reap anything. Yes, we often quote the Scripture that says, “Whatever a man sows is what he will reap.” And that is a fact. But then, if a man plants nothing, he is also going to reap nothing. (Cf. Galatians 6:7)

Truly, there are times that God makes people partake in the fruit of other people’s labour. For instance, parents often partake in the fruit of the labour of their children, just as children too often partake in the fruit of the labour of their parents. A husband also may partake in the fruit of the labour of his wife, just as a wife may partake in the fruit of the labour of her husband. Friends too can partake in the fruit of the labour of one another. Then the weak ones and the poor ones in the land may partake in the fruit of the labour of the rich and strong ones around them.

But what I am talking about here is partaking in the fruit of the labour of others, not stealing the fruit of their labour. And wherever God allows this, it is because those who are involved have been labouring themselves or are too young or weak to take care of themselves. Where people are old and strong enough to take care of themselves, God expects them to be involved in one form of legitimate labour or the other. And if they won’t do this, then, they have no right to partake in the fruit of the labour of others. The word of God says that the one that will not work must not eat. Otherwise, he will be nothing but a thief of the fruit of the labour of others. (Cf. 2Thessalonians 3:10)

Jesus once said this to His disciples: “I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” (John 4:38NIV) Why did He do this? First, He did it out of His generosity. Second, He did it because these disciples had been labouring with Him. Harvesting itself is labour. But the one who has not been involved in any kind of legitimate labour ought not to partake in any form of harvest. Otherwise, he will be seen as nothing but a thief.

Well, the point I am making is that you have to be planting something, if you want to reap this year. If you want to reap success, then, you must be planting seeds of success. And if you want to increase in usefulness, you must plant seeds of usefulness. That is your duty. God will not do it for you.

Now what are the things you must plant this year, if you want to increase in fruitfulness and usefulness? First, you must be planting the seed of the word of God in every area of your life. This is important, if you want fruitfulness that will abide and stand the test of time and the test of challenges. And if you want to increase in usefulness continually, regardless of the circumstances of your life or of your world, you must plant the seed of the word of God in every area of your life.

Remember that our Lord Jesus likens the man who hears His word and acts on it to one who dug deep to build his house on the rock. When the rain and the storm came and beat against that house, it stood firm – it was not shaken at all. Then He likens the man who hears His word and does not act on it to one who built his house on the ground without foundation. When the rain and the storm came and beat against that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete. (Cf. Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:47-49)

What is the point? It is that those who are building their lives on the word of God will be able to stand the test of time and the test of challenges. Their lives, homes and whatever it is they are building with the word of God will not collapse, irrespective of the times they find themselves or the challenges they are faced with. But those who are not building their lives on the word of God, either because they do not have His word at all or because they have it but won’t act on it, will not be able to keep what they are building from collapsing when they are confronted with certain seasons or challenges of life.

So, if you want your life, your promotion, your success or whatever it is you want to have or accomplish this year to be able to stand the test of time and of challenges, be sure you are planting the seed of the word of God into every area of your life and also doing whatever you are doing on the basis of His word. If you will give yourself to doing this, then, the results you are going to be getting in life are those that the word of God says. In other words, your success, promotion, advancement, peace of mind, health and anything else in your life that you are feeding with the word of God will be dictated by the word of God and not by the economy or political conditions of where you are.

Then you must also be planting the seed of prayer into your life this year, if you want to receive increased fruitfulness and usefulness from God’s hand. Jesus says, “Ask and you will receive.” If you, then, want to be receiving God’s provisions for you to be fruitful and useful in life this year, you must be asking God for whatever you need. Yes, you must take seriously the word of God that says that men ought to always pray and not to give up. (Cf. Matthew 7:7; Luke 18:1)

More so, if you want comfort and encouragement in your life this year, you must give yourself to planting the seed of Christian fellowship. If you don’t want to be all by yourself in handling whatever you are doing in life this year, then, take Christian fellowship seriously. God, of course, will be with you wherever you go to comfort and strengthen you. But there are measures of comfort that He cannot give to you, if you will not stay in fellowship with His children.

So, make effort to stay in fellowship with God’s righteous and good people this year. Otherwise, you should not expect the fruit or harvest of doing so in your life. What I am saying is that there are good things that will not happen in your life, if you won’t fellowship with God’s righteous and good people. If you, then, don’t want to miss any good thing God has ordained that you should enjoy this year, stay in fellowship with God’s people.

Furthermore, you must be willing to plant the seed of your skills, labour, money, diligence and faithfulness in profitable ventures this year. As I told you before, you cannot reap what you do not plant. So, if you want more money this year to take care of your bills and to be generous to others, you must be willing to plant the seed of money, hard work, skills, diligence and faithfulness into profitable activities, ventures or enterprises in the year. If you will not plant seeds of these things into life this year, you should not be expecting abundance, promotion or advancement in your life. So, it is important that you are willing to plant the right seeds this year, seeds that will result in your increased fruitfulness and usefulness in life.

Where, then, will you find the seeds that you need to plant into life this year? It is from God. Look at what Paul says in 2Corinthians, chapter 9, verse 10:

“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” (NIV)

Who is God speaking about here? He is speaking about God. And what is he telling us about Him? He is telling us that He is the one that gives seed to the sower and bread to eat. Now that is interesting and highly encouraging. That is because regardless of what is happening in this country and all around the world this year, you can expect God to give you food to eat all through the year.

You can see why I told you that you must be sowing seeds of prayer into life this year. There are things you will not receive from God, if you will not plant seeds of prayer. Yes, there are things God does for people without their asking. He does these things for them as their creator and in His mercy. So, we can refer to them as general blessings from Him to all men. But there are specific things that individuals need in their lives. And some of these things will not be received by them from God, if they will not pray to Him.

Well, Paul says God gives seed to the sower and bread for food. So, as I said, you can expect God to daily make available for you the bread you need to eat. All you need is to ask Him for it. Remember that Jesus says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” You too can daily ask God for today’s bread this year. And He will answer you. But remember that you need more than natural bread to survive – you also need the bread of God’s word. So, of first importance, learn to daily ask God for the bread of His word that you need. And He will answer you and feed you to satisfaction, so that you will not be hungry and begin to run after the errors and lies of men. Then you can expect the natural bread you need to follow.

More than that, you can ask God for the seeds you need to sow into life this year. You need the seed of the word of God, for instance. So, you should daily ask Him to give you the seed of His word to sow into your life and into your world. And He will answer you.

Also, ask Him for the seed of business ideas, wisdom, understanding, knowledge and money that you need to plant into life this year. Then you can ask Him for the seed of people, the right people in your life. God is able to give you the right people to plant into your life, business, marriage, ministry and so forth. So, ask Him for the seed of the right people that you need. In short, ask Him to give you every seed you need to sow into life this year in order to increase in fruitfulness and usefulness. And He will answer you, for He is the one that gives the farmer seed to sow.

Now there is another thing God must do in order for us to increase in fruitfulness and usefulness in life. And it is that He must give increase to whatever we plant. In the text I first read to you, Paul says it is God that gives the increase. And that is true. If God does not give increase to whatever we plant, our labour will be fruitless. My prayer is that your labour this year will not be fruitless or a waste of time.

Well, it is important that as we are planting and watering this year, as we are planting and watering the seeds of our skills, hard work, diligence, faithfulness, money, knowledge and so forth, we keep in mind the fact that the one that will give us increase for these things is God Himself. So, we must trust Him for increase in all that we do. As I said before, if He does not give increase to whatever we are doing, it will amount to nothing.

Thankfully, God is willing to give increase to the fruit of our labour, if we will acknowledge Him. In Genesis, chapter 26, we are told of Isaac and of how he wanted to leave for Egypt because of the famine where he was. But then, he received a word from God not to go to Egypt but to stay where he was. Why? God wanted to bless him where he was. So, he stayed in Gerah. I pray that you too will receive from God this year every word you need to stay in the right place. Amen.

At any rate, though Isaac stayed in Gerah, as God had instructed him, he did not stay idle there. He did not fold his arms, waiting for God to bring him the food and whatever else he needed to care for himself and his household. Instead, he gave himself to some legitimate labour – he gave himself to farming. Look at what is said about this:

“Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.” (Genesis 26:12NIV)

Did you see that? This man planted something where he was. Otherwise, he would not have reaped anything. But he planted some crops that same year that God had spoken to him. And that same year, as we see in the account, he reaped a hundredfold. Why? It was because the Lord blessed him.
In like manner, I want you too to expect increase on the fruit of your labour this year. That is because you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. So, give yourself to planting this year as you have never done. Plant the seed of the word of God, the seed of prayer and the seed of Christian fellowship as you have never done. And God will multiply the harvest for you. You will reap a hundredfold or even a thousandfold of what you plant.

In the same way, plant the seed of money, skills, education, diligence and faithfulness as you have never done before this year. And God, who gives increase to people’s labour, will give increase to the fruit of your labour. All you need is to acknowledge Him and entrust your labour into His hands. Don’t labour on anything without entrusting the results into His hands. Otherwise, everything may just go to waste. I pray that you will not labour in vain this year but will receive a great harvest of everything you plant this same year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you both now and forevermore. Amen.

Happy new year.

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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FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 General Post Pastor's Desk

Boring believers | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: August 18, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 13, No. 16

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to another week of the month of August 2024. My prayer is that God will fill your heart with great excitement for Him and for His kingdom, as we begin the week, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the reasons we are not daily seeing many people turning on their own to the Lord Jesus for salvation is that many of us who refer to ourselves as Christians are not excited about God and about our faith. We are not excited to read or listen to the word of God. We are not excited to pray. We are not excited to sing and dance before the Lord. And we are not excited to give. In short, we are boring believers.

Now no one wants to be around boring people. No one wants to be around those who are not excited about their lives or whatever they are doing. And because many of us are boring to live with, work with or study with, the unbelievers around us would rather want to be in the beer parlour and in the discos than be with us or be in our church meetings. What a shame!

But God is not boring to live with or be with. And we see that illustrated in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the exact representation of His being. He was not boring to live with or be with at all when He walked the face of the earth. Read the gospels. And you will see that the disciples never had any dull moment with Him. The only time they began to be sorrowful was when it became clear that He would be taken away from them. Yet He told them not to be sorrowful at all. Why? According to Him, it was because the Holy Spirit would come and take His place in their lives, living in them, with them and through them. So, there would be no reason for them to be dull or boring in life. (Cf. John 14-16)

Why, then, are many of us dull and boring today, even though we claim to have the Holy Spirit in us? Why are we not excited about God, about His word, about prayer, about giving and about service in God’s kingdom? We are excited about watching worldly movies, listening to worldly songs, being with ungodly friends and attending worldly parties. But when it comes to our relationship with God and with His people, all that can be seen in us is dullness. What exactly is our problem?

Evidently, it is the spirit of lukewarmness that is in the world that has taken hold of us. It was this same spirit that afflicted the church of God in Laodicea of bible times and made them spiritually pitiful, wretched, poor, blind and naked. Interestingly, this wicked spirit will not altogether stop us from attending church meetings, praying, hearing God’s word or giving. But it will make us do these things in such unserious and dull ways that we will gain nothing by doing them. (Cf. Rev 3:14-22)

See, as we are shown in the bible, people don’t get changed and lifted by God just because they come to Him. Rather, they get changed and lifted by Him because they come to Him with hearts that are serious about living with Him and being blessed by Him. What I am saying is that it is only those whose hearts are seriously eager for God and what He has in store for them that will truly enjoy Him and be able to attract others to Him. (Cf. Heb 11:6)

So, if your life is not attracting others to the Lord Jesus Christ, it will either mean that you are not excited about Him at all or that your eagerness and excitement about Him are not enough. And like members of the church of Laodicea, you are in danger of being rejected as a fake believer by the Lord. My prayer is that when we stand before the Lord on that glorious day, you will not be rejected as a fake child of God, in Jesus’ name. But you need to pray now to God that He will awaken everything that is dead in your zeal and excitement for Him and His kingdom, so that you will be on fire for Him for the rest of your time here on earth.

Have a lovely week.

Copyright © 2024, 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@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2024 General Post Pastor's Desk

Fulfil your prayer duties to our country | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: June 16, 2024 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 13, No. 7

Beloved: grace and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to another week of the month of June 2024. And I pray that your heart will be strengthened everyday to take your prayer duties to our nation seriously, so that times of refreshing may come to us all without delay. Amen.

As we are told in the bible, all of us who know God have been commanded by Him to be praying for our land and for our leaders, irrespective of how bad things may be. Why? First, it is so that we may experience peace and progress in the land. Second, it is because God is pleased with such prayers and is able to use them to save many. (Cf. 1Tim 2:1-3)

So, if you have not taken your prayer duties for our country seriously, you have to begin to do so. No, the things we see and hear everyday may not give us enough encouragement to pray for our country. Those things may even give us the impression that praying for our nation is useless. In fact, recently, I heard someone on the radio saying that the problems of our nation are now beyond what prayers can solve. Yet she claimed to believe in prayer.

Now is it actually true that the problems of our country are beyond what prayers can solve? No, that is not true at all. Yes, there other things we need to be doing in order to save our nation apart from praying for her. But without praying to God for her, there is no measure of wisdom or power that we deploy that will save her from the dominion of the devil that we are now witnessing.

So, if you are among those who think praying for Nigeria is a waste of time, you are missing it and showing that you no longer believe in the power of God to save and to heal. And you need to repent. You need to repent because God will someday hold you responsible for failing to carrying out your own duty of praying for the redemption and peace of your country. What, then, are you going to tell Him on that day?

Look at this Scripture and what it says about our responsibility in praying for our country:

“I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” (Isa 62:6-7NIV)

Did you see that? All of us who are God’s children are watchmen planted by God Himself here in this country. And part of our job is to pray day and night for her. We must not be silent about this. We must not give ourselves rest about this. And we must not God Himself rest until He saves our country, restores her, establishes her in prosperity and also makes her the praise of the earth.

That means until we see the fruit of our prayers for our country, we must not stop praying to God for her. No, we must not allow all the bad and discouraging news we daily hear (and we hear a lot of it) to keep us from praying for her. That is because God is answering our prayers, even though what He is doing to save our land may not be obvious to any of us yet. But He is already working for our good, in response to the prayers of His children that are truly praying to Him day and night. And look at what He says will happen when we take our prayer duties for our country seriously:

“The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: “Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled; but those who harvest it will eat it and praise the LORD, and those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.”” (Isa 62:8-9NIV)

Don’t you like these words? I like them. And I know that they will be our testimonies in every part of the country. So, wake up from your slumber and begin to fulfil your prayer duties to this nation. And great will be our testimonies, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have splendid week.

Copyright © 2024, 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@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones General Post Youth for Jesus

A motivation for jealousy | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: February 07, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 39

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

A motivation for jealousy | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: February 07, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 39

“And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.” (1Sam 18:9NIV)

When did King Saul begin to keep a jealous eye on David? It was when all the armies of Israel returned to the land after David had killed Goliath. That means Saul was not always jealous or afraid of David. On the contrary, he once loved and cherished him.

First, he loved him as the anointed musician that used to comfort him with his music, especially when an evil spirit would come to torment him (1Sam 16:21-23). Second, he loved him as a vibrant upcoming Israelite warrior. Look at what the bible says about their relationship before jealousy tore them apart: “After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house.” (1Sam 18:1-2NIV)

Can you see that Saul was already seeing David as a son and member of his family after his exploit in killing Goliath? How, then, did jealousy come in and separate them? Well, as we are further shown in the bible, it came in through the indiscreet singing of the women of the land that came to welcome them home after David had killed Goliath.

Before that time, Saul had been their champion. He had been the warrior king that was handling all their enemies for them. But when David showed up and defeated Goliath the giant, the selective memory of the people would not allow them to remember all that Saul had done for them. So, they began to talk everywhere about David and what he had done. There may have even been some exaggerations here and there, just to make the story of his fight against Goliath sweeter in the ear.

Then, to make matters worse, they brought their high praise of David to Saul’s doorsteps. They sang the song they had composed in his praise in his ears. Therefore, he did not need any prophet to let him see that the people had already begun to replace him with David in their hearts. (Cf. 1Sam 17:6-7)

Now, if Saul had not stopped being a spirit-led man at the time, he would, most likely, not have taken the matter to heart. But the Spirit of God had already left him. And as if that were not enough, a special evil spirit had begun to torment him. So, the song of those women irritated him. Not only that, it made him afraid that he might someday lose his kingdom to David, even though he was not yet aware that he had been ordained by God as king in his stead.

Therefore, he began to keep a jealous eye on him. And that, of course, made life miserable for David for the rest of this man’s life. That was because all that he wanted was to get rid of him and prevent him from taking over his kingdom.

What is the main point of all this? It is that we should be careful of how we use praise, especially when dealing with men. Praise that is not wisely handled or well directed can become a motivation for jealousy. Yes, we need to praise those that have done things deserving of praise. But we should watch where we praise them and how we praise them.

Don’t praise anyone beyond what they are meant to be given credit for. Don’t be selective in praising anybody, especially when you are dealing with a team. And don’t misappropriate praise. In other words, don’t give the praise that is meant for God to man or the praise that is meant for A to B. You may just be stirring up jealousy in others for the person you are praising and creating problems that are larger than them for them. And if they are not shown mercy and protected by God, the way David was shown mercy and protected by Him from King Saul, they may not live long to enjoy the fruit of what earned them your praise.

Mind you, as I already briefly mentioned, a misappropriation of praise can stir up jealousy even in God. Why was the Herod that wanted to kill Peter struck down by an angel of God? Was it because he had killed James and had also attempted to kill Peter? No! Rather, it was because when certain people began to give him the praise that was due to God, he accepted it instead of returning it to God. (Cf. Acts 12:19-23)

So, don’t arouse God’s jealousy against anyone by giving the praise that is due to Him to them. Otherwise, they too may have their lives cut short by Him, as Herod’s life was cut short by Him. What joy, then, would that give you?

Copyright © 2024, 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: Borrowed to do good

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: January 17, 2024|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 36

“The LORD had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free, was suffering; there was no one to help them. And since the LORD had not said he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.” (2Kings 14:26-27NIV)

Who did God use in saving the people of Israel from their suffering, as we are told in our opening text? It was their King, Jeroboam son of Jehoash. And what kind of man was he? Here is what is said about him in the bible: “In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.” (2Kings 14:23-25NIV)

So, Jeroboam was an evil and sinful man. Yet God used him in saving His people from their suffering. What is that telling us? It is that it is not only good people that God can use to save, help or lift us. He can use bad and wicked people too. To say the fact, there are times that God may not find any good person in a place to use to save or help the oppressed. For instance, David says this in a Psalm of his:“The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Ps 14:2-3NIV)

Did you see that? It is possible for God to look down from heaven on a particular town, city or country and not see anyone who is not corrupt or who is devoted to doing good that He can use to build that country. What, then, would be the fate of those suffering in that country, if God were to wait until He finds or raises up a good and righteous person to help them? They may have to suffer for a much longer time.

However, because He is a compassionate God, even if using a wicked and ungodly person is what will bring urgent relief and comfort to the oppressed that are crying out to Him, He may decide to use him. And this is one of the reasons He commands us to be submissive to anyone that is in a position of authority, whether he is a good person or a bad one (Rom 13:1-5). He knows that we often resent those who are evil, believing that they are incapable of doing anything good.

So, we may not want to give them the respect and honour they deserve, if they happen to be in a position of authority over us.But the fact that someone is evil does not mean that God cannot borrow them to do good. God can borrow them to do good and He does sometimes borrow evil people to do good. That, of course, does not change the fact that they are evil and will ultimately be judged as such, if they never repent from their evil till they die. But if they are the only tool available for Him to do certain good things He wants to do for mankind, He may not hesitate to borrow and use them.

Also, the fact that someone is evil does not mean that the person does not deserve our respect. The word of God tells us to show proper respect to everyone. So, even if someone is evil, as long as he is occupying a position of authority or advantage, give him the respect and honour he deserves. It is not because of him that you are doing that; rather, it is because God, who has permitted him to be in that position, has ordered you to do so. And by obeying Him, you will be making it easy for Him to borrow him to do you good, even though he is a wicked person. (Cf. 1Pet 1:13-17)

At least, as we are shown in Scriptures, one of the reasons God places people in positions of authority is that He may use them to do good to those under them. And all that He wants from those under such people is to be submissive to them, based on the measure of their authority. That way, even if they are wicked and unreasonable, He will have just reasons to borrow and use them to do good to those under them or to replace them, if they will not allow themselves to be used by Him.

But if those under authority will not be submissive to their leaders, in line with the will of God, even if all those who are leading them are good and righteous people, God may not be able to use them to make life sweet or safe for them. So, don’t look at the goodness or evil in the lives of those who have authority over you before you submit to them. Instead, submit to them because God has ordered you to do so. Also, don’t insist that it is only good people that God should use to do you good. Otherwise, you may have to wait forever for that to happen. Instead, respect God’s wisdom in determining whom He uses in helping or saving you. And as long as He is the one working, He will not offer you corrupt help or salvation, even if He has to use an evil person. Cheers!

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General Post

WELCOME TO 2024 – BE DETERMINED


Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be immeasurably yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to this new year, year 2024. And I pray that God will keep your heart occupied with gladness all through the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, as we begin this new year, you need to be determined to live in the fullness of God’s will, regardless of the current circumstances of your life. Otherwise, the gift of the year to you may just end up being a waste. Look at Daniel, for example. Even though he found himself in the land of slavery, against his wish, he was still determined to live in the will of God.

The bible says, “But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king…” (Dan 1:8NLT) Did you see that? Young Daniel was determined not to have his life messed up in any way, even though he was a slave in a strange land. And because he was determined to honour God with his life, He caused him to be highly favoured by all the kings he worked with. So, he went on to become a powerful force to be reckoned in the entire Babylonian realm for decades. (Cf. Dan 1-6)

So, I am not saying that it is enough to be determined to do the will of God. However determined we are about doing His will, if He does not furnish us with the strength and favour to do so, we will not be able to do so. That is because doing the will of God does not depend human desire or effort but on God’s mercy. And someone like Peter had to learn that the hard way. (Cf. Matt 26:69-75; Rom 9:16)

Nevertheless, it is important that we first show that we are determined to do His will. Then we can expect Him to furnish us with all that we need to do it. Those who have no determination to do His will are probably expecting Him to be pushing them to do what they do not want to do. But He rarely does that. And even if He has to push us to do what we do not want to do, we may end up being injured in the process. So, if we want God’s favour to freely flow in enabling us to do His will, our hearts must love and be determined to do what He wants.

Then we must also be determined to take God’s provisions for us and to make the most of them. Otherwise, Satan will see to it that we have no access to what is ours to possess and enjoy. Look at what is said about the people of Manasseh and the inheritance given to them by God in the land of Canaan: “But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land.” (Judg 1:27NIV)

Think about that. Even though God had already given the inheritance of the people of Manasseh to them, they still failed to completely drive out the people originally living there. So, they ended up cohabiting with them, making it possible for those people to corrupt them with their idols. Why was that so? It was so because the determination of those people to stay in the land was greater than the determination of the people of Manasseh to drive them out of it.

So, if our determination to take hold of God’s provisions for our fruitfulness and prosperity and utilise them is not greater than Satan’s determination to keep us from accessing and enjoying them, we may end up not being all that we can be and not enjoying all that we can enjoy in this life. All of this is why our Lord Jesus tells us that men ought to always pray and not give up. It is also why He tells us to pray until our joy is full. (Cf. Luke 18L1l John 16:24)

That means as long as we are not yet where God wants us to be and enjoying all that He wants us to enjoy, we must not resign. We must not stop praying. We must not stop declaring God’s word over our lives and affairs. And we must not stop practising righteousness. Yes, Satan and his agents may be doing all that they can to frustrate us or to keep us from accessing and enjoying God’s provisions for us. But as long as we remain resolute to have and enjoy all that God wants us to have and to become all that He wants us to become, nothing will be able to stop the flow of His grace in our lives and affairs.

I welcome you once again into this new year. And I pray that your heart will be renewed with sufficient determination, courage and strength to go for all that God wants you to have in the year and possess and enjoy it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Happy 2024!

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 General Post Pastor's Desk

Don’t be left behind | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: October 29, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 12, No. 26

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I gladly welcome you to the transition week between the months of October and November 2023. My prayer for you is that you will excel in all the will of God for your life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now one of the things that represent the will of God for your life that you need to excel in handling is your devotion to supporting those feeding you with the word of God with your material things. Look at what the word of God says about that: “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.” (Gal 6:6NIV)

Who must share all good things with his instructor? Everyone who is being taught in the word of God! In other words, there is no one that is being taught the word of God that should be left out in this. Instead, every one of them must be involved. And does every one of us being taught the word of God have the ability to be involved in giving from our material things to those who are teaching us? Yes, every one of us being taught the word of God has the ability to support those teaching us with our material things.

How is that so? It is so because God does not expect us to give to them what we do not have but from what we have. Paul, speaking about how to give to please God to the Corinthians, says, “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.” (2Cor 8:12NIV) Did you see that? Our willingness to obey God is the first thing He is always looking out for in our dealings with Him. So, as long as we are willing to obey His command to support those feeding us with His word with our material things, He will be pleased with us.

But being willing to give to them is not all that He requires of us; He also wants us to be actually giving to them. He does not want us to be saying, “God sees my heart that I want to give to you. It is just that I do not have.” Instead, He wants us to give to them based on what we have and not based on what we do not have. That means regardless of how little our resources may be, He still expects us to give to them and not make excuses. That is because as long as the willingness is there, whatever we give to them will be accepted by Him, based on what we have and not based on what we do not have.

Now we all know that God knows what every one of us has. So, He knows what we can afford to give to support those feeding us with His word, regardless of how little our resources may be. It is, then, up to us to obey Him and give to them or to disobey Him and hold back for ourselves whatever we might have given to them. But also keep in mind the fact that He cannot be mocked or deceived by us, as far as giving matters are concerned. It is what we sow that we will reap – we will not reap what we have not sowed. In other words, God will not reward us for what we have not done for Him or His servants. (Cf. Gal 6:7)

Remember the widow of Zarephath. God knew that all she had in her house was just a handful of flour and a little oil in a jug. Yet He commanded her to prepare a meal for His servant, Elijah, from it. And observe that He did not ask her to go and borrow to get food for Elijah or to wait until she became a millionaire to before she would give to him. On the contrary, He asked her to give him food from the little she had at the time. Why? As long as she was willing to obey God, the very little she was giving to Elijah from the little she had would be pleasing and acceptable to Him. (Cf. 1Kings 17:8-24)

Thankfully, that woman obeyed God. And because she did, God rewarded her with daily miracles of renewal all through the period of the famine that the land experienced at the time. How? Everyday she realised that her flour and her oil were simply replenishing themselves, so that they could not be used up until the famine was over. That, of course, is amazing to know.

But what if that woman had not obeyed God, simply because what she had was little? Would she and her son have been sustained during that famine? No! And what would have happened to Elijah? God would simply have found some other means to take care of him, as He had been doing before. So, God will take of those He sends to minister to us whether we care for them or not. But we will surely not be rewarded by Him for what we have not done for them. Don’t be left behind, then, in giving to those feeding you with God’s word. My prayer is that you will not miss those miracles that are meant to happen in your life through your generosity to them, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

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@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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General Post

Watch your life | By: Johnson O. Lawal | Date: June 25, 2023 | Series: Single messages

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Fire in my Bones General Post Youth for Jesus

Title: Don’t let it discourage you|Fire in my bone

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: September 06, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 17

“After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself.” (2Chron 32:1NIV)

What is the first thing that is brought to our notice in our opening text? Hezekiah’s faithfulness to God! When this man became king, as we have in bible accounts, he gave himself to faithfully doing the will of God. First, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple that his father, Ahaz, had shut, repaired the temple and also purified it. That was so that true worship could begin again in the land. (Cf. 2Chro 29)

Second, Hezekiah led the people to celebrate the feast of Passover in a very grand way, equal only to the way it was celebrated in the days of King Solomon. Third, Hezekiah saw to it that the welfare of the priests and Levites in the land was no longer neglected. He encouraged and led the people to bring in all the tithes, firstfruits and offerings required by the law to the house of God. And all these things were done in accordance to the will of God. (Cf. 2Chro 30-31)

Now one would expect that with this man’s demonstration of faithfulness, trouble would be very far from him and his land. But it was not so at all. As we see in our opening text, after all that he had so faithfully done for the Lord and his land, a very powerful enemy showed up and invaded his land, thinking to conquer it for himself. And his threats were so frightening that the whole nation convulsed with fear. But why should this happen after Hezekiah had demonstrated faithfulness in serving God and doing His will? Did he not do enough to please God? Yes, he did.

What, then, was the problem? Well, the coming of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, to attack Hezekiah and his people was not God’s doing at all. That was Satan’s doing. And he did it to discourage this king and his people. He did it to make him think that doing the will of God was a waste of time.Thankfully, Hezekiah did not fall into his trap. Hezekiah did not give up on God because he was attacked by an enemy after faithfully doing His will.

Instead, he cried out to God for help and encouraged the people of the land to trust in Him. And did God fail him or not? No, God did not fail him. On the contrary, God sent an angel of His that killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand soldiers of the Assyrians in one night. So, their king withdrew to his own country, humbled and defeated, without firing a single shot of arrow at the land of Judah. (Cf. 2Kings 18-19)

What is the point of this? It is that whether you do the will of God or not, challenges of life are inevitable. So, don’t think that challenges will not come to you because you are doing the will of God. Otherwise, you will often find yourself falling into Satan’s traps of discouragement. See, doing the will of God will not exempt any of us from life’s challenges. At least, from what we see in Scriptures, doing the will of God did not exempt our Lord Jesus from life’s challenges.

For example, the bible says, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”” (Matt 4:1-2NIV)

Did you see that? After fasting forty days and forty nights, one would expect that the first thing Jesus would witness was a mighty provision of God or an opportunity to preach a great sermon or heal the sick. But that was not happened at all. Instead, it was Satan who showed up again. He had been tempting the Lord all through those days of fasting and praying, as indicated in the Scriptures. And when He was done, he still showed up again to tempt Him to abuse the power of God, tempt God and even engage in idolatry.

Now did the Lord allow that to discourage Him? No! Did He allow that to make Him think that praying and fasting all those days and nights was a waste of time? No! Instead, He drew His strength from the Spirit of God and resisted the devil with the word of God. And did He succeed in driving him away or not? He did.

In the same vein, we too can expect Satan to show up in our lives anytime, especially when we are feeling high and excited in the spirit because we are doing the will of God. And his coming at such times will be to discourage us and make us think that praying, fasting, giving, preaching or doing anything that is the will of God for us is a waste of time. We, however, must be ready like Jesus to resist him with the word of God until he flees from us. And he will surely flee. So, stay encouraged, beloved. It always pays to do the will of God.

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2023 General Post Pastor's Desk

Prayers and generosity – not prayers alone | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: April 23, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 51

Title: Prayers and generosity – not prayers alone
By: J.O. Lawal
Date: April 23, 2023
Series: From Pastor’s Desk
Number: Vol. 11, No. 51

Title:

Beloved: grace and mercy to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great joy that I welcome you to the last week of the month of April 2023. My prayer is that God will rid your heart of all forms of stinginess to Him, so that all the flow of His blessings that you have blocked in your life will be opened for your prosperity, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Often, many of us wonder why certain individuals who are not Christians at all keep enjoying God’s favour of promotion, protection and prosperity in ways that even the believers around them are not enjoying it. And one main reason for this, as we see in Scriptures, is generosity. See, when the bible says that God loves a cheerful giver, it does not mean that this is applicable to Christians alone (2Corinthians 9:7). If an unbeliever also happens to be a cheerful giver, God will show His love to him in very remarkable and obvious ways as well.

For example, we are told this in the bible about a man called Cornelius:

“At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.”” (Acts 10:1-4NIV)

Who was Cornelius, according to this text? Was he a Christian? No! Was he a Jew? No! Instead, he was a gentile soldier. And he was not an ordinary soldier; he was an important officer in the Roman army. Yet an angel of God appeared to him to tell him that God recognised him. What did God recognise him for? He recognised him for his prayers and also for his generosity.

Evidently, Cornelius, as a soldier, must have been a very busy man. Yet he was not too busy to pray. In fact, he was so devoted to prayers that God recognised him as a man of prayer. Are you also known by God as a person of prayer? Or are you too busy to have time to talk to Him?

Then, even though Cornelius was a soldier, he would not use his position as one to extort people, as many soldiers and other security men and women often do. Instead, he was using his own money to help the poor. And he was so generous in doing this that God recognised him as a cheerful and willing giver. So, someone does not have to be a Christian before God takes them seriously. If the person takes God seriously by praying to Him and being generous to others, He also will take him seriously and manifest Himself to them.

As we see in Cornelius’ case, because of his consistency in praying to God and in giving to the poor, a day came when God remembered all that he had been doing and decided that something must be done about his eternal salvation. And remember that the bible tells us not to become tired in doing good to others because, at the right time, God will remember us and reward us (Gal 6:9). How will God reward us for our generosity? No one can say. It all depends on Him. But He will surely reward us for it, whether we are Christians or not.

When God remembered Cornelius on that occasion, it was not only his prayers that He remembered him for. He also remembered him for his generosity and then sent an angel to him to lead him to Peter, the man who would show him the way of salvation. So, praying is not enough for us to receive certain things from God; we must also accompany our prayers with generosity. And there are non-Christians who understand this and often practise it. Why? They have learnt by experience that it works.

Unfortunately, many of us who are God’s people don’t understand this spiritual principle at all. We don’t know that there are times that it is not our prayers that God will work with but our generosity. So, we have to be devoted to both. That is because we don’t when today’s prayers or (and) generosity will be the very key to our promotion or salvation tomorrow. I pray that you will never again miss your promotion or salvation from trouble because of your failure to adequately pray or give. Amen.

Have a great week.

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@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)