Category: FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2021

From Pastor’s Desk is a weekly admonition to believers! It has the purpose of weekly edification of the saints, preparing them for a fruitful walk with God every week

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

You will always have His protection By: J.O. Lawal

Pastor J.O. Lawal
Pastor J.O. Lawal


Date: May 23, 2021 | Number: Vol. 10, No. 3

Beloved: grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Welcome to the last week of the month of May 2021. My prayer is that you will continue to be shielded by God from every form of evil, regardless of where it is coming from, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now I offered that prayer for you because it is in keeping with the word of God to us. And what does His word say? First, His word says, “If you make the Most High your dwelling — even the LORD, who is my refuge — then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” (Ps 91:9-12NIV) Did you see that? As long as we are living in God through Christ Jesus, no harm will befall us and no disaster will come near our dwelling places. Why? It is because He will see to it that we have His Holy angels all around us to protect us in all our ways.

But do you know that you have God’s angels all around you to protect you? The bible tells us that those of us who have come to God through Jesus Christ have come to an innumerable company of angels in a joyful assembly. Then it also tells us that all these angels are receiving instructions from God everyday to serve us. Can we see them with our natural eyes? No! But they are all around us, working hard to see to it that we are safe to experience a total fulfilment of the will of God in our lives. (Cf. Heb 1:14&12:22)

You can now see why the consistent position of the Scriptures is that disasters, terrors and oppression will be far from us (Is 54:14-15). And don’t miss the point being made here. It is not that bad thing will not want to happen to us. As long as we are in this world, Satan will always labour to see that bad things happen to us, whether we are God’s children or not. But because we are God’s children, we always have His protection through His mighty angels. And they will always see to it that regardless of what Satan does, the disasters he has plotted to bring upon us never come near us.

Remember what happened when the children of Israel just came out of Egypt. No sooner than they left that Pharoah gathered his army and pursued them. But the bible says, “Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.” (Ex 14:19-20NIV) My! Think about that! The angel of the Lord that was watching the nation of Israel saw to it that the Egyptian army could not come close to them. And He made sure this was the case until the entire army of Egypt that was pursuing them perished in the Red Sea.

In like manner, there are angels appointed to watch over you too. And they will always see to it that regardless of how close or hard the disasters or calamities or plagues or sicknesses sent by the devil come towards you, they will never touch or harm you. So, get rid of all your fears and walk all the time with the consciousness that you have your own personal guards sent by God to keep you. Otherwise, through fear, you may use your own mouth to bring trouble on yourself (Prov 18:21).

Then you also need to be devoted to staying in the will of God and walking only on the basis of His righteousness and not yours. Otherwise, you may just expose yourself to satanic afflictions. Why did Jonah end up in the belly of a fish? It was because he disobeyed clear instructions from God. Why did Lot lose his wealth in one day? It was because he pitched his tents with people who were living contrary to the will of God? And why did God permit Job to experience all the terrible things he experienced at some point in his life? One of the reasons was to show him that he had been walking in self-righteousness all along, thinking that his good works qualified him to earn God’s protection.

So, if we don’t want to expose ourselves to disasters, we need to take all of God’s instructions very seriously and also rely on Him solely for our protection and not on our good works. As long as we are functioning like this, even if certain people’s misbehaviour, disobedience or evil schemes should bring some calamities or disasters our way, God will always ensure that His angels are there to preserve us by shutting the mouths of the lions that are sent to devour us. (Cf. Dan 6; Acts 27)

Do have a lovely week.

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

A promotion that can’t be condemned

from pastor's desk

Date:May 16, 2021|Number: Vol. 10, No. 2

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I welcome you to another week of the month of May 2021 and pray that, starting from the week, you will, like never before, begin to experience divine elevation that people cannot condemn or despise, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now one of the things that will make it possible for people to see you get elevated and not despise your elevation is the obvious presence of the wisdom of God in your life. For instance, the bible says this about David, “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) Did you see that? Even though David was a very young man when he joined the service of King Saul, he was made a commander over the soldiers.

But why was this young man made a commander like that? Was it simply because he killed Goliath? No! Or was it because he was a friend of the king’s son, Jonathan, who happened to be the crown prince at the time? No! Indeed, David, against all odds, killed the Philistine champion, Goliath. And that made him become a very popular person. Also, he was indeed a friend of a very powerful and respected prince, Jonathan. But all these things did not mean that he was qualified to lead other soldiers, who were mostly older men, or motivate them to success.

See, we are talking about leading soldiers here, men who were trained to face death anytime, any day and anywhere. So, David would need to be more than a prince’s friend to lead them. Also, he would need to be more than a warrior to lead them. He would have to earn their respect for them to follow him. And for him to earn their respect, he would have to show that he had what it takes to protect them and lead them in victory, regardless of the circumstances.

And that was exactly what he did. He behaved himself wisely in handling whatever assignment he was given by his master, King Saul. That means all the soldiers who were observing him could see that he was handling all the military affairs committed to him with wisdom and prudence. So, when he was set over them as their commander, they all accepted him as worthy of the position. Nobody thought of him as being overrated or as being given an undue advantage. Instead, they all celebrated him and submitted themselves to his leadership.

Now that is the kind of elevation or promotion you too need in your life. You need a kind of promotion that even those who hate you will agree that you deserve. And for you to have it, you also, like David, need to be conducting yourself wisely wherever you are and regardless of your age or social status. So henceforth, whatever task you are given at work, in school, in your neighbourhood, in your family or in the church, handle it diligently and wisely and not anyhow. Yes, make sure you put a stamp of excellence and wisdom on anything that you do.

And why is that important? It is important because people are always watching you, whether you know it or not. And how you handle whatever is under your care is one of the things that will determine whether they see you as someone that deserves a higher position in life or not. Truly, God does need people’s opinions to promote or elevate you. He can promote you with or without their approval. However, if you are going to enjoy your promotion and increase in usefulness with it, you need those around you to accept you as worthy of being in the position you are. Otherwise, you may end up hating that elevated position, when you are being despised by the very people that are supposed to work with you or cheer you up.

Thankfully, through Christ Jesus, we all now have access to all the treasures of wisdom, knowledge and understanding (1Cor 1:30; Col 2:2-3). And all we need to see their expression in our lives is to devote ourselves to God’s word and prayer. So, as you go this week, renew your devotion to His word and prayer, and you will be amazed at the way His wisdom will become obvious in your life in all that you do and at the way people will start accepting and celebrating your progress.

Do have a great week.

Copyright © 2021, 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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

God and People | J.O. LAWAL

Date: May 09, 2021 | Number: Vol. 10, No. 1

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forever from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of May 2021. I pray that God, by His divine power, will fulfil all your good and righteous desires for the week, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

This week, it becomes exactly nine years that we have been meeting in this town as a church. So, first, we ought to thank God for calling us out of darkness into His wonderful light in order that we may fellowship with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. We also ought to thank Him for making us representatives of His eternal kingdom in this world of darkness. May His Holy name be exalted forever. Amen.

Now, as we begin another year together in this wonderful fellowship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ, and with one another, there are two things I want you to take very seriously. First, take your relationship with God very seriously. Don’t forget that what qualifies all of us to be members of this assembly is our relationship with God. Yes, it is because we all are God’s children that we are fellowshipping together as one family and enjoying His love and the love of one another.

Therefore, above everything else, your relationship and fellowship with God must be taken very seriously. Until you take it as seriously as you ought to, none of us can be blessed through our fellowship with you the way we ought to be blessed through it. So, put God first in all things. And prove that by making it your goal to rely on Him for everything you need and to do what pleases Him in all things. As you do this, He will see to it that everything about your life is made perfect and that you do not lack anything you need to live a fruitful and meaningful life. (Cf. Matt 6:33)

Then I also want you to take all the people God has planted in your life very seriously, starting with members of your immediate household. Why is this important? It is important because it is the will of God for you. Read through the Scriptures, and you will see that God is always concerned about people and how they are doing (Ps 8:3-8). Even though He is God and can afford to ignore us or do without us, He still cherishes us and always wants to do us good. And that is because He loves us and wants the best for us at all times.

Since we, then, are His children, we are not expected to act differently from Him. In other words, we too must be lovers of people, just as God is. And we must be genuinely concerned about them, especially the ones He has put in our lives, and always consider how we may do them good. Until this is the case with us, we cannot be good ministers of Jesus Christ.

You know ministry is not just about serving God; it is also about serving people. To say the fact, it is because God wants us to serve people that He blessed us with all the gifts of the Spirits we have and all the resources we have access to, as His church (1Cor 12:4-7). So, we cannot claim to be serving Him, when we are not serving people. And we cannot serve people adequately and appropriately, if we are not interested in them and what is going on in their lives. Do you know that we cannot even take care of our husbands, wives, children, parents and siblings well, if we are not truly interested in their lives?

So, apart from your confidence in God, another important thing that will make you a good minister of Jesus Christ is your genuine interest in people. How interested are you in the lives and progress of your family members? How interested are you in the lives and progress of members of this assembly, with whom you fellowship week after week? And how interested are you in the lives and progress of all other people that are close to you in one way or the other? Your degree of interest in these people is what will drive you to seek God’s face for them and to also put to work the abilities, skills and resources God has given you in helping them.

If you, then, can see that your level of interest in people is low, you need to start praying to God seriously about it. That is because it is showing that you are not allowing His love in you to flow freely. It is love, God’s love, that makes us take genuine interest in people’s welfare. And where this is not flowing freely, we will hardly be concerned about others. Pray, therefore, that God will cause His love to flow freely in your life, as it ought to, so that you can be used by Him to bless all those that He intends to bless through you.

Once again, I welcome you to another year of great fellowship with God and with another and pray that we all will increase in fruitfulness and usefulness like never before in it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a fabulous week.

Copyright © 2021, 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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

You can still do more – J.O Lawal

Date: May 02, 2021 | Vol. 9, No. 52

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you into a new month, the month of May 2021. My prayer is that success with ease will be yours in all your righteous endeavours all through the month, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

My admonition to you, as we begin this new month, is that you give yourself more and more to the work of the Lord. Why? First, it is because that is the will of God for you. Paul, writing to the Corinthian brethren, says, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Cor 15:58NIV) Did you see that? How regularly are we to give ourselves to God’s work? Always! All the time! That means we must continually be busy with whatever He wants us to do in His kingdom and not be lazy or slack about it.

What I am saying is that God wants you to increase and not diminish in usefulness in His kingdom. So, regardless of how much you think you are doing in His kingdom right now, you can still do more. You can bless more lives with His word, your prayers, your gifts and so forth than you are doing at the moment. You just need to realise that He is counting on you to do more and more for Him and then begin to function accordingly.

The second reason we are supposed to give ourselves more and more to God’s work is that God, our Father, Himself is always working. He is always blessing lives, changing lives, delivering people, healing people, lifting people and so forth. He is just never tired of doing good to people and of giving justice on the face of the earth. This, of course, was what motivated our Lord Jesus to be busy all the time with His work, when He was here on earth. Remember that He said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” (John 5:17NIV) Since we too are the Father’s children, we must keep working.

The third reason we are to abound in God’s work, as Paul points out, is that our labour is not in vain. What does this mean? One, it means that what we are doing is important to God. Our preaching, praying, giving, discipling of people and so forth are important to Him, for He is using them to fulfil His purpose in people’s lives. Two, it means that God is going to reward us for all the work we faithfully do for Him. People may not notice or appreciate our labour in the kingdom. But God is never going to overlook anything we do for Him, even if it is just a giving of one of His children a cup of water (Matt 10:42). So, we have very good reasons to be devoted to His work.

But is it possible for us to give ourselves more and more to God’s work and not faint or become discouraged? Yes, it is possible. It is possible because we are not left alone to do His work. He is going to be with us and in us all the time to do whatever He wants us to do. In fact, we cannot do His work at all, if He does not do it through us. It is only what He does in us, with us and through us that will accomplish His purpose and that He will reward us for. That is why Paul says, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Phil 2:13NIV)

So, we have no reason to be afraid of His work before us, however enormous or impossible it may look. He Himself is with us to do it. We just need to walk with the consciousness that we are not alone in this. And as He works with us and through us, we can expect all kinds of fantastic things to begin to happen in our lives and in the lives of those in our world. Just as it is written: “Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” (Mark 16:20NIV) In like manner, if we too will go about doing His work, according to His grace on us, He will work with us and confirm His presence with us with all kinds of signs and wonders that will make men praise Him.

Do have a fabulous May 2021.

Copyright © 2021, 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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Be excited about your call – By: J.O. Lawal

from pastor's desk

April 25, 2021 | Number: Vol. 3, No. 48

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forever from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to the last week of the month of April 2021. My prayer is that your heart will always be strengthened to embrace and cherish the call of God on your life, so that your life may manifest His beauty more and more every remaining day of your earthly life. Amen.

As we are shown in the bible, it is not only those who are well recognised as leaders in the church that are called of God. Rather, it is every believer in Christ Jesus that has been called by Him. What, then, have we been called to? First, we have been called to fellowship with Him. The bible says, “God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” (1Cor 1:9NIV) Did you see that? God called all of us to live with Him and to have Him live with us in a holy union. So, now, we are partakers of His life, His nature, His works, His glory, His eternal kingdom and even the hostility of men towards Him.

Second, God called us so that He may show forth His wisdom and wonderful acts through us to all His creation, especially men, angels and demons. This is why the bible says, “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Eph 3:10-11NIV) It also says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1Peter 2:9NIV)

Did you see that? God called us out of darkness into His wonderful light and made us His own special people. So, you are special to God. I am special to God. We all are special to God. And not one of us is more special to Him than any other. We all are equally special to Him because He paid the same price to redeem all of us (1Pet 1:18-19). And why did He make us His own in this way? It is so that He may begin to demonstrate His many sided and indescribable wisdom and wonderful acts through every one of us, not just through our pastors, prophets and other leaders in the church.

Therefore, wherever you are and regardless of your status in this life, you have been chosen and called by God to be living that life that will make men, angels and demons see that God is great, wise and good. And is this the kind of life you are living? Are you living a great, wise and good life, one that those around you cannot ignore or fail to admire? Or is it an unimpressive, foolish and irritating life that you are living?

To say the fact, the life that many of God’s people are living where they are is one that does not impress or attract those around them. I mean that their daily life is not moving those of the world to want to have what they have or become what they are. And how will anyone be moved to want to be what you are in Christ Jesus, if you are not excited about it or if you feel inferior to them because you don’t have certain things they have or because you are not in certain positions they occupy?

As the bible tells us, God did not choose or reject any of us because of our social status in life, great or low. He did not choose or reject us any of us because we are not rich, highly educated or famous. Rather, He chose us in spite of who we were according to the standards of this world. And He chose us to do wise and great things that will shock men, angels and demons. (Cf. 1Cor 1:26-31)

So, there is no reason for us not to be excited about our call, even if we are occupying the lowest position in the world of men, the position of a slave or a prisoner. For example, when Paul stood as a prisoner before King Agrippa, Bernice and Governor Festus, who were very important people in the world of that time, he did not speak like a disadvantaged, confused or depressed person. Instead, he spoke with so much excitement about his life with God that they felt like setting him free immediately. The wisdom he spoke with was just too much for them to handle. (Cf. Acts 25:13-26:32)

Now that is what God is expecting of us too. He wants us to always take our world by surprise by the way we live and act, so that they will start saying of us, “It is either these people are mad or ‘for real.’” And when they come closer to us, they will realise that we are ‘for real’. Will you, then, wake up, throw away your garment of shame and begin to live like who you really are with much excitement? My prayer is that you will be encouraged and strengthened to do so, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have splendid week.

Copyright © 2021, 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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021

Tell them your experience with Him – — Pst. J.O Lawal.

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

April 11, 2021 |Vol. 9, No. 49

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Redeemer. Welcome to another week of the month of April 2021. And may you fully experience God’s rest and peace of mind all through the week, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now one of the things that will make our experience of God’s rest and peace of mind better and better is for many more people in our world to be saved and transformed through faith in Christ Jesus. People who have been truly saved and transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ don’t cause trouble in the society. They don’t steal, rob, kidnap, rape, embezzle public funds, do money rituals, use hard drugs or irritate their neighbours. So, the more of such people we have in our society, the greater the degree of peace and rest we will be enjoying. This is, in fact, why we are admonished in Scriptures not to be praying for ourselves alone but also for all men, for through our prayers God is able to lead them to salvation. (Cf. 1Tim 2:1-4)

But praying for God to lead people to salvation is not enough for them to be led to salvation. We also need to be talking to them about this salvation that God is freely offering them in Christ Jesus. And we don’t have to be an evangelist to do this; we just need to have experienced this salvation ourselves. Have we been saved from our sins? Have we truly experienced deliverance from the power of the devil? Are our lives daily experiencing the love and goodness of God in ways beyond description? If all these things are true in our case, then, we already have enough of what we need to invite those around us to come and share in this same experience we are having with God through Christ Jesus.

For example, our Lord Jesus once had a brief conversation with a Samaritan woman by a well in a city called Sychar. Now this woman was most likely a very troublesome person, one that most people would not want to have anything to do with. That is because, as the account shows, she had married five times and the man she was with at that time was not her husband at all – they were just co-habiting. So, it is unlikely that she was a good woman. Nevertheless, when the Lord Jesus was through talking to her and showing her the solution to the thirst for love and peace of mind that she had, she did not waste time at all to go and gather as many people as she could from her town to come and meet the Lord. (Cf. John 4:4-45)

Now how much Scriptures did that woman know for her to be able to do that? Not much! In fact, she did not need to know much Scriptures to be able to get people to come and meet Jesus. She just needed to be able to passionately tell them her own personal experience with Him and how that experience gave her the faith she needed to have a new and meaningful life.

In like manner, what we need to invite people to meet with Jesus is not a great knowledge of the bible. Rather, what we need is a great passion to share with them the beautiful things our lives have experienced through our fellowship with Him, so that they too may come to Him to have even more beautiful experiences. And as they come to Him and have their lives changed, our society is able to experience a greater degree of peace and rest.

So, as you go this week, determine in your heart that more people will hear from you good news of what the Lord Jesus has done for you, is doing in you and is doing through you. And I pray that God, by His Spirit, will fill you with a great passion to do this, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a fabulous week.

Copyright © 2021, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Tell them of His goodness 07/03/2021

from pastor's desk

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you into the second week of the month of March 2021 and pray that nothing will hinder your life from fully expressing the goodness and power of God wherever you find yourself in the week, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the things we learn from the bible story of the mad man of Gerasene is that everyone who has experienced the goodness of God has a duty to spread the news to others, so that they in turn may come to Him. Then He will change their experience of sorrow, shame and pains to that of joy, glory and comfort (Mark 5:1-20).

Now, as the account shows, this man had been possessed by some Legion of demons. And these demons made his life so miserable that he ran mad. But his madness was not a kind that just made him walk around naked or that made him smile at everybody in awkward ways. Rather, it was a kind that made him extremely violent and dangerous to everyone around him and even himself. It was so bad that people stopped bothering themselves about tying him with chains, for he was just too strong to be bound with anything. So, everybody abandoned him. And he started living in the tombs, crying day and night and cutting himself with stones. Just think about how miserable those demons that were living in this man made his life.

In like manner, there are people today whose lives have been made horrible by demons. They may not be running around naked like a mad person. But their lives are not any much different from the life of a mad person. That is because everything they are doing is something that will further hurt or destroy them and also make their lives stink. And isn’t that how it is with mad people too? It is. The things they eat and drink, the place they live and sleep, the way they move around and the things they wear, if they wear anything at all, can only further hurt their lives and make them more irritating and unpleasant to do anything with.

At any rate, a day came when this mad man of Gerasene met the Lord Jesus Christ. That was the day he experienced God’s mercy and was delivered from the hands of those wicked unclean spirits that were bent on totally destroying his life. And his deliverance was so amazing that those who saw him could not believe their eyes, for he sat down well dressed and in his right mind. Then because this man was so grateful to God and excited about his deliverance, he begged Jesus to allow him to follow Him wherever He went. But the Lord told him, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:19NIV)

Look at that. The Lord plainly told that man that he did not have to move around with Him in order to serve God. All he needed to do was to go his people, all of whom had abandoned him, and tell them how much the Lord has done for him. And did he go or not? Oh, he did go to his family to share news of the goodness of God with them. But he did more than that. He also went all about a place called ‘the Ten Cities’ and told everyone he could find there how much Jesus had done for him. (Cf. Mark 5:20)

Now has the Lord truly done you too any good? If He has, then, who have you told about it? Is the Lord blessing you today through the ministry of His word or that of some of His saints? If He is, who are you telling about it? The Lord may not require you to be a preacher for you to serve Him. But He requires you to always seek opportunities to daily tell men of His goodness to you or others around you. This is so that they too may be inspired to come to Him for their salvation or deliverance. And remember that there are many around us whose lives are no better than those of mad people and who need urgent deliverance, if they must not perish. Such people need us to tell them something of the goodness and faithfulness of God, so that they may come to taste it. And my prayer is that we will be rid of every form of selfishness in this matter and made bold to do what is right.

Do have a week full of testimonies.

Copyright © 2021, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021

Title: His power and authority are now yours JAN 17, 2021

from pastor's desk

By: J.O. Lawal

Date: January 17, 2021

Series: From Pastor’s Desk

Number: Vol. 9, No. 37

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to this new week and pray that your heart will be strengthened to walk in the fullness of God’s purpose for your life all through the week and the remaining part of the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this week, I want to remind you of the words of our Lord Jesus, which say, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…” (Acts 1:8NIV) Who did He say these words to? His first set of disciples! What did He say that they would receive, when the Spirit of God comes on them? Power! And what kind of power did He say that they would receive? It was God’s divine power to live as victors over sin and over the devil and all his works here on earth.

Now did these disciples receive this power, just as the Lord had promised them? Yes, they did! They received the power of God into their lives the very day the Holy Spirit was poured out on them (Acts 2:1-4). And from that time on, life was no longer business as usual for them. First, they began to live differently, in love and in the righteousness of God and in boldness. I mean that all these men and women, who were once selfish and loaded with all kinds of immoral ways, began to sell their things to take care of others and to live for the sole purpose of pleasing God. And that was because they were strengthened in their hearts with God’s power by the Holy Spirit in them. (Cf. Acts 2:44-46 & 4:32-37)

Then these brethren began to proclaim the good news about Jesus Christ and to frustrate and destroy the works of the devil everywhere they went. They had lived all their lives in fear of the devil and his wicked works before they met Jesus and were eventually filled with the Holy Spirit of God. But having been filled with the Spirit of God, they received the power of God to lose their fear of the devil and his works and their fear of men and their wickedness. So, everywhere they went, they boldly proclaimed Jesus and also set people free from Satan and his demons. (Cf. Acts 2:43, 4:31-33 & 5:12-16)

In like manner, as many of us that have received the Holy Spirit today have also received God’s power to live the way those disciples of old lived. We too have received God’s power to reject a life of unrighteousness and live in the love and righteousness of God every day. And if we are not walking in the love of God and practising His righteousness, it will not be because we are powerless to do so; rather, it will either be because we have refused to take advantage of His power in us or are totally ignorant that we now possess His very power in our lives. 

Also, we have received His power to lose whatever fear we have of the devil and his demons and destroy their works wherever we go. I mean that we now have at work in us God’s power to heal the sick, raised the dead, drive out demons and even destroy bad habits in people’s lives. And remember that Jesus says,

“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” (Luke 10:19NIV) So, it is totally unacceptable for us to still be living in fear of Satan, his demons, witches, wizards or any other worker of wickedness. What we need is to learn to utilise the power and authority that we already have to put these beings where they belong in our lives and affairs –under our feet (Rom 16:20).

Now how do we utilise God’s authority and power that are now ours? One way to do this is through prayer. James tells us in his epistle that the prayer of a righteous person makes tremendous power available and is dynamic in its working (James 5:16). In other words, each time we pray in accordance with the will of God, His power is released to bring about His will in our lives or world and to frustrate the works of the devil. So, if you want to continually see a mighty release of God’s power through your life, pray without ceasing. Another way to put to work God’s power and authority in our lives is to constantly speak His word to our situations. And we will speak His word to our situations, if we truly believe that it is true and will not fail (2Cor 4:13). Do you, for instance, believe that in Christ Jesus you are a master to Satan, his demons, witches, wizards, sicknesses, diseases and so forth? If you do, then, you will not hesitate to command them to stop their works wherever you come in contact with them.

So, as you go this week, make up your mind that you will take advantage of God’s power and authority that are already yours in Christ Jesus to enforce His will in your life and in your world. And remember that you are not alone in all this. The Spirit of God is in you and with you and will strengthen you to do what is right, as long as you are willing.

Do have a miracle filled week.

Copyright © 2021, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com  or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021

Title: What exactly is in your heart? JAN 10, 2021

from pastor's desk

By: J.O. Lawal

Date: January 10, 2021

Series: From Pastor’s Desk

Number: Vol. 9, No. 36

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of January 2021. I pray that your heart will be kept right to continually experience the goodness of God in the week and all through the remaining days of your life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now there is a very troubling account of a man in the bible, which I want to use to admonish you, as we begin this new week. It is that of Simon the sorcerer. This man, because of his sorcery and magic, had been a very powerful force to reckon with in Samaria until Philip the Evangelist came there and proclaimed the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the people. And when he, like others, saw the great miracles, signs and wonders that God performed through Philip, in the name of Jesus, he too joined the company of those who believed and began to fellowship with them and to follow them up and down. (Cf. Acts 8:4-13)

However, when Peter and John came to Samaria to pray for the people, so that they may receive the Holy Spirit, Simon was astonished to see that it was through the laying of their hands on them that they received Him. And instead for him to present himself to these apostles to have hands laid on him, so that he too may receive the Holy Spirit, he offered them money to give him the ability to also be able to make people receive the Holy Spirit by laying hands on them. This, of course, got Peter so upset that he said to him: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”” (Acts 8:20-23NIV)

What was the problem with Simon, as Peter pointed out? It was that his heart was never right with God. Yes, like every other person, he too confessed Jesus as Lord with his mouth. But the truth was that he never really believed in Him for the salvation of his soul. In other words, he did not confess Jesus and join the company of believers because he truly realized that he was a sinner and in need of salvation. Instead, he joined them because he saw in that fellowship an opportunity to gain additional power to his sorcery powers and be able to do whatever he wanted. Unfortunately for him, his real intentions were exposed by the Spirit of God, and he was told that he was in danger of perishing in sin, if he would not repent.

In like manner, Paul speaks about certain people in the church, who are always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth (2Tim 3:6-7). These ones just don’t ever understand or practise the things they are being taught. And it does not matter how much time you devote to teaching them, counselling them, praying for them or following them up, they will still remain unchanged in their way of life. Why? It is because their hearts have never been right. They have not joined the people of God because of the salvation of their souls; they have other reasons. It may be because they see in the fellowship of God’s people an opportunity for financial gain, to meet some influential people, to get a good brother or sister to marry or to be involved in all kinds of immoral affairs.

In any case, whatever our reason for confessing Jesus and joining the church may be, if it is not to experience the eternal salvation that God has purchased for us, we have missed it and are in a wrong place. And like Simon the sorcerer, we will not go far in our hypocrisy. At some point, God will expose us for what we really are and show His children that we never really belonged to Him. Then, if we refuse to repent and accept His salvation, we will eventually perish in our sins. 

So, ask yourself, “What is really in my heart? Why have I confessed Jesus as Lord? Is it really because of the salvation of my soul or am I after something else?” And I pray that the Spirit of God will cause us to be truthful to ourselves in this matter, so that we will not end up wasting our lives and our so-called devotion to the Lord and His kingdom.

Do have a very pleasant week.

Copyright © 2021, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com  or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021

Title: Be determined to walk in His will -JAN 03, 2021

By: J.O. Lawal

Date: January 03, 2021

Series: From Pastor’s Desk

Number: Vol. 9, No. 35

Beloved: I am glad to welcome you to year 2021. This is the Lord’s doing, and we ought to give Him praise and honour for it. 2020 was a very tough year for many all around the world. But God, in His kindness, saw us through it. And I know that regardless of what this new year also brings up, He will see us through it and make our walk in it a walk of total victory and rest.

But then, for God to make our walk that of absolute victory and rest this year, we too must be determined to do His will all through it. Yes, I know there may be all kinds of things that you have determined or resolved to do in the year. And really, most people often come up with new resolutions every new year, which is not a bad thing in itself. But however grand your new resolutions for this new year may be, if they do not include a resolution to do the will of God in all things, then, they are nothing.

The bible says, “”You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”” (Rev 4:11NIV) Did you see that? God created everything, including mankind, by His will. So, we are not here in the world by our own will. It was not because we wanted to come into the world at this time that we are here. We are here because God wanted us to come. We are here for Him.

Since, then, we are here for God, our lives ought to be about living to please Him. But if we are ignorant of this, we will not give our lives to pleasing Him. And even if we know this but do not resolve in our hearts to live to please Him in all things, we will not live to please Him. That is because there will definitely be circumstances that will want to pressure us to act against His will. And if that determination is not in us to please Him, we may find ourselves yielding to those circumstances and acting contrary to His will.

Yes, according to Scriptures, it is clear that no one can please God by His own power or just because he desires to do so. God Himself has to empower us to please Him and also, in His mercy, make the circumstances of our lives favourable for us to please Him (Zech 4:6; Rom 9:16). But we too have to be willing and determined to please Him. I mean that we have to want what He wants for our lives and be resolved to experience it. Otherwise He won’t be able to produce what He desires in our lives.

Paul tells us in a letter of his that it is God who is at work in us to will and to act according to His good purpose (Phil 2:13). Think about that. If you belong to Christ, God is working in you. And what is He doing? First, He is working to give you desires that are consistent with His purpose for you. Second, He is working to empower you to carry out those desires that are in line with His purpose for you. So, we have not been left alone in handling the business of living to pleasing Him. He is with us and will be with us all the way to see to it that we have everything it is going to take to fully please Him in our lives.

But as I pointed out already, unless we embrace what God wants for us and are determined to see it come to pass in our lives, our lives will never be a fulfilment of His will. Why did most of the people Moses brought out of Egypt fail to enter the place of rest prepared by God for them? Was it because God did not have the power to take them into it? No! Rather, it was because they really did not want what He wanted for them and so were not determined to have it. Therefore, His power could not work in their favour. But look at Daniel, when he was in that godless city, Babylon. The bible says he resolved in his heart not to be defiled but to please God. Because of this, God caused His favour and power to work for him and his friends, so that they were able to please Him and experience His rest all through their stay in Babylon. (Cf. Dan 1:8-16)

In like manner, if we too are determined to walk in the will of God for us this year and are dependent on Him to make it happen, we will certainly experience a great release of His favour, mercy and power on our behalf that will make it so. But if there is no determination in us to live in His will, there is no way His power will be released to make our lives a fulfilment of His good purpose. My prayer, then, is that our hearts will be touched by God to fall in love with His will for us and be determined to live in it, so that we may fully experience His rest in every area of our lives this new year. Amen.

Happy New Year.

Copyright © 2021, 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com  or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)